


It's not what you think

by Sheetmusicjunkie



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Courtesans, Culture, Dwarf Culture, M/M, Mentions of PTSD, NO rape, Nightmares, Scars, mentioned smut, mild sexual assult, panick attacks, smut later on, trigger warning, tw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2017-12-15 12:17:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/849485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheetmusicjunkie/pseuds/Sheetmusicjunkie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dori has the most elaborate hair out of the entire company (only rivaled by Nori's) never a hair out of place. Dori's braids stand for something, as most dwarf braids do. His mark him as a son of the line of Ri, a learned dwarf, and the head royal courtesan for the Blue Mountains. Soon to be head Royal Courtesan of Erabor. <br/>So when Dori and Nori take pity on poor Bilbo Baggins during the quest, and teach him a few things, what happens when Bilbo finds out that he's been groomed to be a courtesan as well?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Let me explain.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, no dwarf smut yet, but there will be in time, I promise you that. 
> 
> In this AU I have a few notes to make, the first chapter takes place post BOFTA and everyone survives (yay!)  
> Also, I have changed it so that hobbits live as long as dwarves BECAUSE I CAN! So this makes Bilbo in his late teens or early adult hood by dwarf standards. Fili, Kili, and Ori are a bit older than that. 
> 
> All the thanks and glitter in the world to thorinsexinsheild for being my beautiful beta and dealing with my inability to grammar.

The door slammed, and silence reigned, being broken by nothing but Bilbo’s heavy breaths, he was backed against a wall, hands flat behind him, as if he was trying to disappear into the stone itself, a feat that not even dwarves could hope to achieve. The walls and floors were decorated with fine tapestries and carpets of soft weave, all of them themed in shades of purple and soft grey, Dori’s colors, because this was Dori’s sitting room. 

Said dwarf stood in the middle of the room, hands on his hips, a worried crease on his brow, grey eyes studying Bilbo. Nori stood near the door, his posture forcibly relaxed. “Bilbo dear,” Dori’s voice was soft and nonthreatening, the hobbit closed his eyes, “come here dear, no one is going to hurt you.” 

A whine escaped Bilbo at that and he had to fight back the sudden, overwhelming urge to cry. The high collar of his tunic was too tight, the air too warm, he could still feel it, the strong hands on his shoulders, pulling at his clothes. A mouth pressed to his ear, and filthy names he had called Bilbo when all he did was say no, as was his right. 

“What…” his voice was rough in the stillness of the room, with his eyes closed, he could hear the brother’s come to attention at the noise. “What… is a Courtesan?” A sharp intake of breath, Dori, a muttered curse, Nori. “And why… was that d-dwarf calling me one?” 

There was the unmistakable thud of dwarven boots crossing the carpet, before he felt a presence before him, Bilbo opened his eyes, Nori had his hand stretched out, waiting for the other to take it, his expression oddly serious. “Come sit down Bilbo, Dori’s going to make tea.” 

The hobbit was suspicious, all he wanted were answers, but he let the thief lead him across the room, let himself be pushed down into the plush, lavender arm chair by the fireplace. A minute later a cup of tea was pressed into his hands by Dori, who still had that worried crease in his forehead. The white haired dwarf sat down in the plumb colored chair next to his, smoothing the wrinkles out of his tunic, a nervous habit of his. There was silence for a moment, long enough for tension to coil tightly in the bottom of Bilbo’s stomach. 

“Well!” Dori’s voice and the clattering of china broke the hush abruptly, almost making Bilbo jump. The white haired dwarf clapped his hands together in that way he did when there was something to be done and Dori didn’t feel like dancing around the issue. He looked the hobbit square in the eyes and grasped his hand lightly, a kind expression replacing his worried one. 

“Bilbo, my title right now, is Head Royal Courtesan of Erebor; this is a highly respected title among dwarves, those who are in my care are titled Royal Courtesans, or, Consorts. They also hold a great deal of power and respect in our society, Nori is one.” Dori gestured to his pointy haired sibling, who was sitting on the footstool in front of Bilbo, nodding. Dori swept his hand towards Bilbo, taking a pause, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “And you Bilbo Baggins, are also officially titled, Royal Courtesan of the kingdom of Erebor.” 

“Wh-what?! Dori! Me?” Bilbo spluttered at the thought of having a title at all, let alone one that held power. He thought he had just been treated with respect by the dwarves outside of the company because he had been the hobbit who stole from Smaug. He glanced up at the brothers, resisting the urge to wring his hands by tightening his hold on Dori’s. 

“But uh…” He paused uncertainly, he almost didn’t want to know. “What… exactly is a Royal Courtesan? I-I mean… what do they… do?” Bilbo stuttered out and trailed off lamely, biting his lip, beside him, Nori gave a groan, covering his face with his hands. Dori on the other hand who was far more composed, tightened his mouth into a hard line and said nothing. 

A beat of silence passed before Nori sighed and uncovered his face, glancing between Bilbo and Dori for a moment before picking up where his brother had left off. “Dwarfs, unlike men, or elves,” he sneered a little at this, “value sex, we think of it as something sacred, almost holy. We can craft beautiful things from the earth, we can fight mighty battles, and we have the ability to give and receive a pleasure unlike any other.” 

Bilbo’s face heated rapidly, hands fluttering uselessly in the air, fighting the urge to clap his hand over Nori’s mouth. The star haired dwarf grinned at that, somber mood breaking somewhat. 

“But the problem with our race is that we have few women, and fewer still that are willing and able to bear children. We are a race devoted to our craft, and our battles, we often do not wish to be tied down by marriage, or taken away from our kin by them. A great many of us prefer the same gender, and having bed companions that only stay for a night. Royalty prefer marriages born from political relations or with the interest of continuing their bloodlines.” Nori paused to drink his rapidly cooling tea, Bilbo rolled his eyes, hands coming to rest in his lap. 

“What on earth does this have to do with Courtesans?” 

Nori hummed at the others question, swallowing and placing his cup back onto its saucer carefully, much to Dori’s liking, before continuing. “Royalty of either gender want their pleasure to be something sacred, and not linked to marriage beyond consummation or the purpose of creating offspring. This is where Royal Courtesans come in, the Royalty keep a group of specially chosen dwarves, and occasional hobbit in this case, who are trained and trusted. They are given a section of the royal suites, dressed in the finest clothing, they are a few of the most revered and respected beings in dwarven society. Their job Bilbo, is the business of this sacred pleasure.” 

Nori finished his speech, leveling the hobbit with a meaningful stare while Dori carefully observed his friends’ reaction over the rim of his teacup. Bilbo’s brain came to a halt, there was complete silence within the confines of his brain, probably for the first time in his life. He shut down, long enough for the brothers to start worrying; before a single train of thought came to life in his mind. One sentence that kick started everything back into full gear with agonizing speed. 

“You mean to say…” Bilbo whispered, little hands clenching in his green tunic “That Royal Courtesan, is a fancy word for whore?” 

Bilbo stood up, breathing quickly, his head was light and the world seemed to be closing in on him “You mean to say,” His voice rose both in pitch and volume with his distress and anger. “That this whole time, you have been grooming me to be nothing more than an exotic fuck toy for dwarves!?” 

This time, closing his eyes didn’t work, and the dam broke, Bilbo doubled over, hands fisted in his hair, sobbing, a scream escaping him. He had never felt so stupid, so used in his life, that’s why the company had accepted him, not for his merits or for all the good he had done, but because they had planned on using him. 

Strong arms encircled him, gently lifting Bilbo from where he had crumpled on the floor, he was pulled back into Dori’s lap and gently cradled to his chest. Bilbo curled into himself tightly, hands still clenched painfully in his curls, sobbing violently. 

“It’s alright dear, you’re alright,” the white haired dwarf murmured, stroking the back of his head with one large hand. Nori moved to Bilbo’s vacated chair, his expression painful. “Bilbo, you have it all wrong.” He rested a hand on the hobbit’s back, rubbing circles. “Royal Courtesans are important, revered respected.” 

“Wh-Whats so re-respected about a w-whore?” Bilbo hiccupped brokenly, one of his hands unclenching so it could cover his mouth with the hope of stifling the noise he made, he was a grown hobbit after all. He had no place curled up on someone’s lap crying like a fauntling who had skinned their knee. 

Dori spoke, his voice calm and clear. “Royal Courtesans are teachers, Bilbo who explain to young dwarves who have come of age how children are brought into the world. They teach them how to safely and properly give pleasure to their future partners, and what they should try avoid in a partner.” His voice was steady and smooth in the midst of Bilbo’s anguish and panic, matching the steady hand on the back of his neck. 

“If a dwarf is abused by a partner or another dwarf,” Dori continued, “or is captured and tortured prisoner of war, they are handed over to a Courtesan, who will show them how to be intimate and to trust again. To learn that whatever happened was not their fault.” 

The weight on the back of his neck grounded him, the hand rubbing circles on his back was soothing, Bilbo’s breath evened a little, the vice that had clenched around his heart loosening a little. 

Dori pushed forward, his voice even and warm. “Royal Consorts can pick and choose who they take as clients, royalty come to them, with gifts and formal requests for their services. If a courtesan does not like whoever is asking them, if they find them rude or arrogant, or are uneasy and feel like they would be unsafe in any way, they can say no, even if the person asking is a king. Their words are respected and treated like gold.” 

The hobbit pulled back, looking up at his friend, who smiled softly, removing Bilbo’s remaining hand from his hair and wiping away the last of his tears with a large thumb. “If harm comes to a courtesan, or they are threatened in any way, the punishment is death or banishment.” Nori stepped in at this smiling wickedly, 

“Courtesans are well learned, trained by the best, and are considered invaluable to the kingdom, they sit with the royalty, are considered part of it, and are often consulted on political matters or asked to sit on the king’s council.” 

The hobbit blinked, sitting a little straighter and uncurling a bit on his perch in Dori’s lap. “If a courtesan’s business is sex, and… education… then why the kings council?” 

Nori’s grin sharpened. “Few beings in this world, if any, are capable of keeping their mouths closed while in the throes of bed play. In fact, when left alone with kings and high men alike, we courtesans often find ourselves doing more listening than anything else.” 

An hour later Bilbo was curled up in the lavender armchair again, wrapped in a blanket with a cup of tea in his hands. (Dori was insistent.) Nori had slipped from the room a while back, claiming a need to use the bathroom, (even though there was a fine one attached to Dori’s rooms.) The Ri brothers’ logic, and their arguments were solid, so solid that Bilbo could not find a hole in them. Still, he couldn’t help the pang of guilt and shame that curled through his gut every time he thought of the title he now owned. 

“Dear me,” he murmured, listening to Dori putter about in the background, “what would the Shire say about this?” But his head was fuzzy and his eyes were tired from crying, the little hobbit soon drifted away into exhausted slumber, leaving his thoughts behind for another day.


	2. Lets start from the top

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Later on, looking back on things, Bilbo realized that something had been happening from the first moment he had spoken to Dori. The night in Bag End should have been his first hint of things to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, to say again, I made hobbits live as long as dwarves in this, so yeah.. that's about all to say about that.
> 
> Also! again, all the love in the world to thorinsexinsheild for being a wonderful beta.

Chapter Two 

Later on, looking back on things, Bilbo realized that something had been happening from the first moment he had spoken to Dori. The night in Bag End should have been his first hint of things to come.

Dori and Nori were as sharp eyed as dwarves came, intuitive to the emotions and subtle body language of others. It was a give in, seeing as their jobs came from reading other people and playing on their weaknesses. It did not, however, take an expert to see how uncomfortable Master Baggins had been that night in Bag End. 

"Poor dear," Dori murmured as Gandalf lifted the little creature’s body from the entryway floor, moving it to the next room. The oldest Ri brother wanted nothing more than to bundle the peaceful little thing up and give him tea for the rest of his days. Pushing the impulse down for the meantime Dori leaned over and placed a gentle hand on Ori's arm, startling the young dwarf out of his thoughts. "Ori, love, do me a favor and make master Baggins some tea." His brother looked as if he wanted to protest, but bowed his head politely and left the table. 

"You saw it?" Nori asked, his voice quiet and slurred from clamping his teeth around the stem of his pipe. 

Dori nodded, rubbing a hand over his lip in thought. "How could you miss it?" he muttered back, knowing his brother would hear. 

There was silence between them for a time before Thorin passed by, nodding respectfully towards the pair. Nori sniggered once the king had rounded the corner, and although Dori had more propriety than his sibling, he couldn't help the twitch of a smile that passed over his face. It seemed that the king had not forgotten his manners after all, despite appearances. 

~

With emotions still rolling thickly among the company after the story of the day their king was lost, it was no wonder that Dori and Nori found no sleep. It was something that struck the hearts of all dwarves and the turmoil made it impossible to rest, especially the emotions coming off of their king. Dori suspected that Bilbo had the same sense that he and Nori did, if the way the lad sat tensely was any indication. Dori sighed as the rest of the company bedded down for the night, motioning for Nori to move the hobbits bedroll closer to the Ri's and far away from Bombur's. 

"Come now, master hobbit, I think it's time you got some rest." Dori gently led the halfling by the arm, resolutely ignoring the spluttering remarks of the other. He plopped Bilbo down on his bedding before sitting down himself, smiling at the others confusion and worry. Taking a moment, the dwarf let his grey eyes scan over Bilbo for a moment before nodding to himself and gently reaching over to card his fingers through the hobbits hair. "Mister Baggins, I do believe you have foliage caught in your hair."

Bilbo looked towards the ground, shoulders hunched, every line of his body tense "I-I suppose I must have missed some... earlier," he stuttered softly, reminding the other of how painfully shy Ori had been when he was younger.

Dori hummed as he finished picking bits of leaves out of Bilbo's curls before using one hand to gently massage his scalp as the other rubbed the back of his neck. Noting how the other flinched as the large hands were first laid upon him, no matter how gentle they were. 

"Remember, Master Baggins, the way a being carries themselves and the places where they carry their weight, reveal a great deal about their temperament and personality," he murmured quietly to the halfling. 

Neither could say how much time had passed before Dori felt the hobbit slumping under his hands; the dwarf smiled, humming nothing in particular as he steered Bilbo to lay down, pulling the covers over him before returning to his own bedroll next to Nori's. The latter was sitting up, pipe in place, staring up at the sky. 

"Well?" He murmured around the stem of his pipe.

"Just as we suspected," Dori replied, pulling off his boots with a sigh. "Touch starved, quite a happy and neutral disposition naturally and a quick thinker in a crisis. Although he freezes whenever any sort of positive, undivided attention is given to him."

"I was afraid of that," Nori muttered, mostly to himself as his elder brother made a nondescript noise, laying down and bundling under his blankets. Master Baggins was beginning to turn into an issue that would not be fixed in a short amount of time.

~

To say Dori was annoyed would be a gross understatement, if he ever met a troll again in his life he would avenge the damage done to his perfectly braided hair with intense satisfaction. Thorin and the others that were lying on the ground were the first to be released, followed by Dwalin and then himself. The king and Balin personally assisted Dori as he set foot on the sweet earth once more. 

“Are you all right, master Dori?” Thorin questioned, holding one of the white haired dwarves hands in his own. Balin, who was on his other side, echoed something along the same lines, his eyes sweeping for injuries. Dori smiled and squeezed the king’s hand, warmed by their concern and once again reminded that Thorin had not forgotten his manners after all. 

“I’m quite alright, a little singed is all,” he replied, glancing between the two, his smile growing wider, causing his left cheek dimple. 

Thorin nodded before releasing the courtesans hand, Fíli appeared by his side, his uncles clothes clutched in his arms. The king cleared his throat, shifting his weight a little before taking the offered clothes. He nodded once to Dori before turning and wondering behind a rock. Balin smiled into his beard, patting the other dwarf on the shoulder before slipping away to attend to his own clothing.

“Hmm, our king expresses his concern for you, I see,” Nori murmured just behind his right shoulder, Dori most certainly did not jump, but by the way his sibling snickered a lesser dwarf would have assumed he had. 

“He is a good king who knows that mistreating someone of my position would not be a smart move,” Dori sniffed, turning and holding out his hands for his clothes.

“At least he shows a little sense under all his majestic hair,” the middle Ri dwarf murmured, helping Dori with his jacket and outer layers. His elder smacked him in the arm once he was dressed, giving him a once over and resisting the urge to fuss over the others hair; Nori never looked kindly upon that habit of his. 

“Enough, you; now tell me, where is Master Baggins?” 

Dori got his chance to talk to Bilbo while the others were down examining the awful troll hoard, his brother among them. The hobbit was standing off to the side of the group, absently chewing on a thumbnail, a habit Dori filed away for later. 

“Master Baggins!” the dwarf exclaimed, walking over to him, Bilbo gave him a shaky smile, pulling his nail out of his mouth.

“Hello Master Dori, how are you?” His voice was soft and although he stood straight, it was more because it was ingrained in him than he actually wanted to. The courtesan could see the exhaustion in every line of the little creatures frame. 

Dori waved his concern away. “I’m fine, a little scratched but nothing a dwarf can’t handle.” 

He smiled before placing a hand on Bilbo’s arm, he felt so fragile and small under his hand. His brow creased and he ran his hands up and down the other’s arms before putting a finger under his chin and tilting the hobbits head up. His green eyes were wide and surprised, his body tensed, arms going rigid under Dori’s hand. “Are you alright master Baggins? You got into quite a bit of trouble.” The dwarf felt his mothering instincts kick into overdrive. 

“I-I’m fine, master Dori, bruised is all,” the hobbit stuttered, Dori released him, patting him gently on the head. 

“You are a clever little thing, master Baggins, it will serve you well in the future.”

~

Nori pushed open the door to the room Thorin had insisted on giving to Dori, and by proxy, his brothers; the dwarf kicked off his shoes, and dumped his clothes in a messy pile at the foot of the elf sized bed. “So, have you made up your mind?” he asked his elder sibling, hauling himself up onto the large mattress so he could watch the other as he mended Ori’s clothes. 

“What are you talking about?” Dori questioned absently, his focus on the tunic under his hands the smooth pull of thread and needle soothing his frazzled nerves. It was a familiar action that had stayed with him throughout his life, no matter how dire things had been, Dori always had sewing and knitting to fall back on.

“The hobbit, I know you have had your eyes on him, you saw exactly what I did.” Nori, the brave and untamable thief, was laying on his stomach in an elven bed, watching brother sew and admiring the others attention to detail. Dori hummed absently, eyes never leaving his sewing,

“Go on,” he prompted.

Nori propped his head up on his hand, chewing on his lip for a moment before speaking. “He’s alone Dori, his little hobbit hole was comfortable, but only lived in by a single being. He has no lovers or sweethearts waiting for him, didn’t say goodbye to anyone before he ran out of the Shire. He has never mentioned family, parents, siblings, cousins, no stories to speak of.” 

Dori, who had been finding excuses to mother Master Baggins from the beginning of the journey, took over from there and filled in the blanks. “He is not used to being touched, he freezes when he is given physical contact. He’s mature but he is also brash and does not think before he speaks or acts. He’s also very naive and trusting, innocent, he reminds me of Ori in this respect.” Said dwarf, who was sitting across the room sketching let out a disgruntled protest. 

Nori cackled at his little brothers distress, Dori tied off the last of Ori’s mending, folding the garments and setting them aside before sliding off the bed and eyeing Nori’s rumpled pile of clothing with distaste. “Do you have something against folding? These were just washed,” the courtesan grumbled, tossing the pile onto the bed. 

Nori rolled over onto his back, grinning like a giant cat, “folding is unnecessary for travel clothes, it’s not like I’m wearing them to court.” He started laughing again at Dori’s scathing glare, it might have worked on his more unruly clients but the pointy haired dwarf knew better. 

Their conversation was cut off though as a heavy knock came at the door, Nori rolled off the bed and answered it, revealing a very annoyed Dwalin, in nothing but his long underwear, holding a very frightened and dirty Bilbo by the scruff of his jacket. “Thorin sends his regards,” he rumbled, glowering at Nori before focusing on his elder brother, who had come to stand behind him. “The company has claimed one of the baths, he assured me you and your kin would join us.” 

Dori’s eyes brightened at the mention of a bath. “Of course! Finally being able to wash the grime off! Nori! Ori! Come along!” 

Ori groaned as he was pulled along by Nori, who looked nothing more than nonplussed about the whole situation. So the group of four dwarves, all in their long underwear, and one frightened hobbit, made the trek down to one of the smaller bathhouses that had been set aside when the company arrived. 

It was an open aired room, with a large steaming tub sunken into the floor the rest of the company was there, laughing and lounging about in the water. They were greeted with shouts and laughter when they arrived. 

“It’s kind of you to join us, Master Dori,” Thorin greeted, grinning for once in good humor “Dwalin! Where did you find our burglar?” 

Dwalin dropped the Halfling and quickly shed his remaining clothes, slipping into the water with a groan. “I found him lurking in the gardens, little thing was fast but I caught him.” 

The company laughed and went about their business, enjoying the water. Ori joined Fíli and Kíli, who were off to the side splashing each other and giggling madly. Nori and Dori helped Bilbo out of his clothes, ignoring his stuttering. The pair stripped down and picked the naked hobbit up (he had turned an alarming shade of pink,) taking him into the water with them. 

“Come now Bilbo, relax a little with us,” Bofur called from across the tub, grinning, hatless, with his braids undone. It took time, but with a little coaxing from the dwarves the Halfling eventually relaxed, Dori could almost feel the tension leave the little body next to his.

Balin, who was seated between Thorin and Dwalin, was rolling his shoulders, looking pained, his brother glanced down at him, his brows furrowing. “You alright brother?” 

“Aye, I’m just a little old for these journeys lad, takes a toll on a dwarf.” The others chuckled, Oin nodding knowingly, and Dori thinking about his own aches and pains.

“And to think we still have so much ground left to cover. We’re all going to be feeling our ages by the end of it. Except for the striplings over there of course,” Bofur chimed in, the older members of the company laughing as the Fíli, Kíli, and Ori at the other end of the tub puffed up, indignant. 

“What about Bilbo? He looks like he’s feeling his age already!” Kíli pointed out, his cheeks red, from heat or embarrassment no one could tell. Bilbo had gone completely lax in the water, head tilted back against the edge of the tub, eyes closed. 

"How old is our burglar? He can't be much older than us." Bofur wondered, only half joking despite his grin.

“Indeed, how old are you, Master Baggins? None of us seem to know,” Balin inquired, his brother absently rubbing his shoulder. 

It took a moment for Bilbo to respond, Dori thought that he had fallen asleep, until he spoke without opening his eyes. “Hm, I turned 50 in September, why?” 

The company fell silent, Bilbo lifted his head and opened his eyes, only to find the whole company staring back at him, expressions of shock written across their faces. “What?” 

“Bilbo…your 50?” Kíli was the first to speak, his voice hushed, Bilbo nodded, his brows furrowing, “Bilbo, Ori is 70, I’m 75, and Fíli is 80, we are the youngest members of the company.” The dwarf seemed almost timid and Bilbo raised his eyebrows in surprise. 

“Well…how old did you think I was?!” Bilbo spluttered, gesturing erratically with his hands

“I thought you were Thorin’s age” Fíli burst out, eyes wide, Bilbo huffed, indignant 

“I most certainly do not look that old!” 

“No but you acted like it, I just assumed hobbits aged really well!” Kíli picked up where his brother left off, clearly disturbed.

Thorin seemed to shake himself out of whatever kind of stupor he had drifted into at the mention of the hobbits age. “I have taken a child from the Shire, I am going to be sending a child into a dragons den.” This thought made the king crumple a little with guilt. 

“I am an adult!” Bilbo spluttered

“But only barely!” Thorin shouted back at the hobbit. 

“Enough!” Dwalin roared, everyone fell silent, Balin put his hand on Thorin’s shoulder in an attempt to calm the king. 

“The lad is technically an adult by our law, and apparently, his law as well, he signed the contract, there is nothing we can do.” With that, the matter seemed to be settled, but the fact weighed heavily on the shoulders of the company. The dwarves, and hobbit, finished washing and dried off in silence, parting ways for the night in a somber mood. 

Thorin looked majestic, even in his long underwear, he pulled Bilbo away by the arm as soon as the Halfling was dressed in his pants and undershirt, Dori taking the rest to be washed. “Master Baggins, it seems we need to discuss something of importance.” Bilbo looked terrified, but let himself be silently dragged away to the king’s room. Dori had the mind to go after them, but was stopped by Nori, 

“Thorin won’t hurt the boy, and in the morning you can fuss over him as much as you like, come on, it’s past time we sleep.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so there is going to be ONE MORE chapter of flashback before we continue on with the story and the SMUT.  
> If you guys have any ideas, comments, whatever, please tell me!


	3. Rules and Regulations (flashbacks pt. 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo learns that with the truth revealed about his age, there are a few drawbacks to being the baby of Thorin's company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so for the time being this chapter is unbeta'd, I will update this to the beta'd version when it's ready but I felt bad making you guys wait any longer.  
> I am so sorry about the mistakes, grammar is not my biggest strongpoint.  
> If you see anything glaring that bothers you about the grammar let me know.  
> I wish that some of the sections of this chapter would burn in a pit somewhere. 
> 
> Also, a reminder that in my AU Hobbits live as long as dwarves. So Bilbo is actually very young in this. :)

The door closed with a deafening click, Bilbo swallowed, clenching his fists by his side as Thorin let go of his arm so he could lock the door. The king turned to face him, eyes shadowed, hair pulled over one shoulder. 

"Master Baggins, it seems you have been keeping secrets from me" Thorin began, clasping his hands behind his back, looking every inch of the king he was supposed to be, despite his long underwear. The dwarf paced forward towards the Bilbo, who, out of a long buried instinct, took a step back, shrinking into himself, trying to appear smaller. 

Thorin paused, head tilting slightly to one side, expression softening as he saw that despite the digruntled front, Master Baggins was shaking; from fear or anger the king could not tell. Now that he looked, really looked, Thorin could see, for the first time, just how painfully young this creature was. From his soft face and rash actions to the determined set of his brow that all younger beings seemed to carry. It was clear that the hobbit was not the middle aged bachelor they had thought him to be. "Why did you keep your age from us, Bilbo?" Thorin intoned, the hard line of his shoulders easing somewhat "Do you have anything else you need to tell me? or the company?" His voice had taken a more gentle note, and it did not help the kings tough demeanor at all. 

Bilbo, who had been observing the patterns layed into the floor intently, huffed at the inquiry, looking up at the dwarf with his brows drawn forward. "I did not keep a secret on purpose! I assumed that either Gandalf had told you of my age or that it was no dwarfs business!" Bilbo spluttered, he was outraged at the very idea, "keeping secrets indeed!" Bilbo muttered, crossing his arms over his chest, pacing right and then left before halting abruptly in front of the king. "I will have you know Thorin Oakenshield, as I have said before, that I am an adult and perfectly capable of making my own decisions!" 

"You may be a technical adult Bilbo Baggins but you are practically a child!" Thorin raised his voice in return before taking a deep breath and continuing in a forced calm" Bilbo, Gloin's son, Gimli is older than you by ten years and he was left behind because he was STILL considered too young for a quest as 

dangerous as this." Thorin paused to take a look at the hobbit, who had that blasted stubborn set to his jaw. The king sighed, running a hand through his hair in a rare show of frustration, rubbing a hand over his mouth he took a moment before walking over and sitting down on the window sill. Moonlight poured in through the open design, reflecting off of the white floors and walls. There was always something ethereal and sad about elven architecture, a permanent sort of longing for the past. The king stood out, like a rough dark spot in the midst of it all. 

"Come here Bilbo" Thorin gestured to the seat beside him, the hobbit hesistated, struck at the sound of his first name before approaching timidly, sitting down as the dwarf leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "You don't know much about dwarves," Thorin began after a moment of silence, his voice abrupt, cutting the halfling off when he opened his mouth to protest. "It's alright, most beings don’t we are a very secretive people." Thorin looked over to make sure Bilbo was paying attention before moving on. 

"Dwarves, we are Aules people, made from the montains, the stone, we are tough, and we make beautiful things, many of us spend our lives perfecingt the art of war, but we are by no means a delicate race. Our women are just as though, and often just as hairy as our men, it's considered a desirable trait by most. We often feel as though we are as invincible as our homes of stone, yet our strength fails us at times, in matters that are beyond our control, the issue of child bearing for one, is not one of the many strong suits of my people." 

Bilbo frowned wondering where the king was going with his line of thought 

"our women are often barren, and when they do bear children it is a hard and delicate pregnancy, followed by a birth that risks both the mother and child." Thorin was staring at the wall across the room, heavy brows furrowed. "Children are hard to come by in our society, as a result we are people who guard our children as fiercely as our gold, we try keep them safe, teach them how to defend themselves, and try not to let them go on dangerous quests so early in life." At this last part he glanced at Bilbo out of the corner of his eye, the corners of his mouth turning up. "You can see where I'm going with this, yes?" 

Bilbo nodded, biting his lip, "So, you view me as a child still, and... you don’t want me to get hurt, even though I am not a dwarf" Thorin nodded, placing a hand on the back of the hobbits neck 

"Especially because you are not a dwarf, your people were made to heard sheep Bilbo, not to go to war." 

Bilbo faught down a smile at that, picturing hobbits in armor for a moment before sobering once more "but I... does this mean your sending me back to the Shire?" He looked up at the king and Thorin could see that he was afraid, although why the halfling would be afraid to go back to thoes green rolling hills was beyond the dwarf. He had done nothing but be homesick since they had left anyway. 

The king cleared his throat "Well master Baggins, you are a legal adult, and you did sign the contract, we could not send you back to your hobbit hole even if we wanted to." As a smile filled with relife broke out across his companions face Thorin chuckled in response reaching out and ruffling the boys hair before he could stop himself. Bilbo blushed at the contact, he hadn't had someone do that to his hair since he was a fauntling. 

With that Thorin stood up Bilbo following him, he put a steady hand on the hobbits back, gently steering him back towards the door. "You are part of the company master Baggins, but in light of this new development, the same rules and regulations that Fili, Kili, and Ori comply to will also apply to you, along with a few more seeing as you are so young." Bilbo frowned a bit at this, but didn’t complain, causing the dwarf to smile as he opened the door. "Good night Bilbo, sleep well and we will speak further in the morning." 

Thorin sighed once the door was closed, clasping his hands behind his back and pacing, as was his habit. The halfling was very young indeed, but a great deal of the time acted as though he were twice his age. His maturity had been the factor that had caused the company to assume he was old enough to join the company in the first place. 

A knock at the door cut off Thorins thoughts, and his pacing, the dwarf frowned, stomping over and opening the door abruptly, who in middle earth needed him at this time of night anyway? 

Balin and Dwalin were standing on the other side of the door, fully dressed and grinning widely at the sight of their brooding leader in his long underwear. Dwalin tossed a bundle of the kings clothing at him, laughing all the while, "Only Thorin could maintain his dignity in his skivvies eh brother?" He rumbled claping his oldest friend on the shoulder before pushing into the room, Balin following behind with a serene, if teasing grin. Thorin grumbled hiding a smile in his beard. 

"So our burgler, is no more than a babe we stole out of the Shire then?" Balin inquired, cutting to the heart of the matter as he occupied the windowsill that Thorin had vacated not a moment before. Dwalin checked around the room, prodding various items while Thorin pulled his trousers and tunic on, leaving the rest to put on in the morning. 

"Yes but I talked to the lad- Dwalin toss me a comb." The bald warrior, who was standing next to the kings pack, found a metal comb tucked away in one of the compartments. He flicked his wrist and the brush went flying, Thorin snatched it out of the air without looking. "and he did sign the contract, and agreed to follow the rules we have in place for the younger members of the company, plus a few more." He continued, pulling his hair back over one shoulder and picking out the knots. 

"That’s unusually kind of you," Balin observed, picking at his nails pointedly, Dwalin hauled himself up onto the bed and sat there, chuckling. 

"Aye, it is, this wouldn't have anything to do with your infernal nephews would it?" The warrior rumbled. 

If Thorin had been a lesser dwarf, he would have thrown one of his boots at his friend (an urge he had given into earlier in their lives.) For the moment he settled for glaring at the other as he continued to pull the comb through his hair. "It's not just that, the lad is so... he's so young Balin, and he acts twice his age! What made the lad like this? Children don't choose to become adults before their time." Thorin paced a bit before climbing up on the bed and sitting on the edge of the mattress as he finished the last pull of his comb. Dwalin scooted forward sitting behind his king, gathering his thick unruly hair into large hands, beginning to pull it back into a sleeping braid. 

"And you would know the same feeling, having had to grow up before your own time as well" Balin finished Thorins thoughts for him. "Being an heir, and then the leader of a lost people" 

Thorin sighed, closing his eyes and focusing on the soothing movements of Dwalins hands "I never wanted another to feel that, the weight of that responsibility at such a young age, I tried to make sure that Fili and Kili got to be children for as long as possible." His words were quiet, but sat heavily in the hearts of his oldest friend and close advisor. 

"Even if you are paying for it now" Dwalin grumbled from behind him, tying off the braid with a clasp as they laughed. 

Balin stood up, his knees cracking faintly, "so the lad stays with us, he will follow the rules and we will keep an eye on him as best we can." The old dwarf went to the door, opening it before turning to the two warriors on the bed, "we can have a meeting in the morning to inform the rest of the company, with that, I bid you good night, Thorin, brother." He nodded to both, grinning slyly as he shut the door softly behind him. 

Thorin found himself being pulled back into the barrel chest of his best friend as soon as they were alone. He leaned back, too tired to resist or anything of the like when he felt a mouth on his neck, 

"We should be sleeping, friend, we have to leave at first light" Thorin murmured, turning his head so the other could have better access, despite his words. 

"Hmm, yet I see you making no move to stop me, besides, we should make the best use of a bed while we have one." The words vibrated through his own chest as they were spoken, Thorin could feel the first lazy coils of heat in the bottom of his stomach as teeth nipped at the skin behind his ear. He turned his head and kissed the other dwarf hard, his hands gripping Dwalins biceps as thick arms tightened around his waist. 

"Dwalin" Thorin hummed into the others mouth, laughing as he was suddenly flipped over onto his back. 

Dwalin pressed the hard line of his body against the other, propping himself up on his forearms, smiling softly, 

"My king." 

~ 

Bilbo woke up groggily to a hand shaking his shoulder, his eyes were heavy as he pried them open, only to see Bofur and his braids smiling down at him. "Come on Bilbo, up we go, its time to get moving," the dwarf lifted Bilbo up, large hands grasping under his arms. He let the hobbit lean into him, cooing softly about how cute sleepy Halflings were as Bifur rolled Bilbo's bedroll up and got his pack together. 

"It dosent feel like morning, it feels like night" Bilbo mumbled, burying his face in the others shoulder and letting the dwarf lead him down the hallway where the rest of the company was gathering. 

Bofur chuckled, putting an arm around his shoulder "It's early yet, the sun's not even up, but we have to get going." 

Bilbo's hands were shaking from exhaustion as they entered the open area where some of the company had camped out the night before, the dwarves were all there, eating a cold breakfast, conversing in hushed whispers. Bofur deposited the dozing hobbit between the Ri brothers, Nori pressed a bowl into 

his hands while Dori let Bilbo take up the same position he had with Bofur moments before. The courtesan ran a hand over the Halfling's messy curls and smiled as Bilbo drooled on his coat a little, it had been while since there had been a sleepy youngling in his arms, it made him nostalgic. 

Bilbo was still leaned heavily into Dori, but he was at least with the waking world, eating his cold porridge by the time Thorin joined them, Dwalin following close behind. It was strange, and his eyes must have been playing tricks on him; but the hobbit could swear that Thorin seemed to have a lighter step, his posture was more relaxed, the same could be said for his guard, who was sporting a deep purple bruise right below his ear. But that could have been a trick of the light. 

"As you all know, last night we had a bit of a... revelation" The king begain, causing the company to quiet, a few of them shooting looks towards the hobbit. "But after speaking to Master Baggins, and considering everything at hand, it has been decided that our burglar will be joining us for the rest of our quest." The dwarves raised up a cry at this, most from joy, a few out of concern. Thorin held up a hand, silencing the company before gesturing to Balin. The advisor stood, brushing invisible dust from his tunic. 

"Our hobbit will be joining us on this quest, but he has agreed to abide by the rules that the younger members of the company are subjected to, as well as a few more, considering Master Baggins' age." The dwarves gave a collective murmur of agreement, Fili, Kili and Ori muttering a bit louder than the rest. Balin turned his attention to the hobbit in question, who was blushing furiously at the attention and attempting to shrink into Dori's side. 

Balin cleared his throat, smothering a laugh into his beard; "Master Baggins, you will at all times be with a member of the company, you will have tracking, hunting and weapons training with the rest of the boys. There will be no dallying around with sex or anything of the like while we are on this journey. Last but not least... at least attempt to be respectful towards your elders, are these guidelines clear?" 

Bilbo was redder than any tomato he had ever seen, and every eye of the company was on him "uhm, y-yes that’s perfectly clear Balin" Nori, who was struggling to breath through his laughter, clapped Bilbo on the back. 

With that Bilbo found himself squished between Fili and Kili on their trip out of the valley, hiking along the sloping path as the sun began to wake. The hobbit stopped just before Rivendell went out of his sight, turning to look down on the peaceful place, wishing that one day he would be able to return before he was gently steered back into line by Fili's arm over his shoulders and Kili's hand on his back. 

"Come on Bilbo, the valley will be there for a long while yet," the blond grinned as they trooped up the slope. 

"Yes and we still have an adventure to finish" Kili continued, with an expression to match his brothers. 

Bilbo grumbled, wishing he had time to smoke, "I can't believe I'm being treated like a child," 

The Durin boys exchanged glances over the top of the hobbits head "We can't believe you act like a little old hobbit!" Fili exclaimed 

"Like uncle!" Kili finished 

"Where are your parents Bilbo?" Ori questioned, turning his head to glance at them over his shoulder. 

Bofur, who was behind them joined in "Aye, what's a little thing like you doing in a home that big and empty?" 

Bilbo frowned at the rocky ground in front of them, his shoulders tense under Fili's arm, he remembered, of coarse he did, how bright and full of life Bag End used to be. With clattering in the kitchen and humming in the study. He had never realized just how much noise two quiet people could make just from going about their lives. Not until he was laying in bed, straining his ears for snores he would never hear again. Pressed in by silence until dwarves had came knocking at his door. 

"Bilbo?" It was Kili's voice, soft to his left, 

"I don't want to talk about it" the hobbit murmured, his voice weak. 

No one spoke for a while. 

~ 

They stared in silence for a while, looking at the peak in the distance and all the land they had yet to cover. Far over those treetops a dragon lay in wait for them, along with a place they could call home, peace settled around the company for a moment, their heart beats slowing, they were alive, they had made it. Dori leaned into his brothers, an arm around each as they stared at the far off mountain they had been dreaming of their whole lives. The dwarves seemed to collectively shak themselves out of their reverie after an amount of time had passed, and began to chaotically check over themselves, each other, their gear as the more practical began looking for a way down the bloody tall rock they had been left on. 

Dori took a moment to pat Nori down, which his brother endured in long suffering silence, he checked to make sure Ori was still in one piece before rushing over to hug their burglar. 

"You stupid, brave, idiotic hobbit!" Dori exclaimed, enveloping the smaller being in his arms before stepping back and looking him over. "Are you hurt? are you bleeding!? I was so worried!" He ran his hands down the hobbits arms before gently grabbing his chin and turning his head this way and that, looking for signs of anything terrible. 

"No no! Dori I-I'm fine!" Bilbo stuttered, overwhelmed from the sudden onslaught of fretful attention, he glanced at Thorin from the corner of his eyes, hoping to find assistance. Yet there was none to be found as the king himself was checking over his own nephews in a similar manner, only less vocal. It seemed that the dwarf hadn't exaggerated when he had told Bilbo that they were a people who were fiercely protective of their children. 

"I found a way down!" Dwalin bellowed from the far end of the rock, one thick arm holding a disgruntled Balin to his side. 

"Well then! Lets get further down and make camp!" Thorin hollered back, his arms draped over Fili and Kili, the king leaning heavily into his sister sons. 

One long trip later, which was painful for some, (Thorin) and more embarrassing for others (Bilbo, who was carried down in Dori's arms like a babe.) The dwarves were down on the sweet earth again and setting up camp in a place by a river, sheltered by the rock. 

"Everyone take this opportunity to bathe, I think we could all use it" Thorin announced, pulling a weak chuckle from the company as his nephews gently lowered him to sit on a log, the king gritting his teeth the whole way down. Oin, who had been looking over the group with narrowed eyes, hurried over to the other dwarf with single minded determination. Thorin batted him off, scowling, "Look after the young ones first, especially Master Baggins, he wasn't wearing any armor." Thoroughly rebuffed, Oin turned his attention towards the closest youngster, Bilbo, who was still cradled in Doris arms and very cross about it. 

Dori sat Bilbo down, stepping back as Oin unbuttoned the hobbits shirt and began poking, prodding and checking the little creatures scalp, torso and eyes to see if he was alright. The healer sat back after a while, nodding to himself and rummaging through his supplies for bandages. 

"Well? What's wrong? is he hurt?" Dori questioned anxiously, 

"He has a few broken ribs and some cuts, but if we wrap them and don’t let him do any more orc jumping he will be fine," Oin snorted, leveling a look at a hobbit. 

Bilbo grumbled but cooperated as thick white bandages were wrapped tightly around his aching ribs, Oin patting him on the shoulder before standing up and dragging Dori away by the arm for a dip in the river. Bilbo was alone just long enough to pack his pipe and start mumbling about matches before he felt a body settle on either side of his log and a match was held in front of his face. 

"Do you need one of these, Bilbo?" The hobbit looked up to find that Fili was the owner of the item in question, the dwarf struck the match and held it up for the burglar to use. Bilbo puffed a few times nodding his thanks to Fili, inhaling deeply and sighing as the pipe weed soothed his frazzled nerves. 

"So, our brace little burglar, have you had a chance to dip in the river yet?" Kili asked, slinging an arm over Bilbo's shoulders. 

Bilbo wrinkled his nose and scooted away from the archer, "no, and by the way you smell, neither have you," the hobbit huffed, Kili scowled as his brother burst into giggles at that, the blond just about falling off his log. 

"Well played Bilbo" Ori called, having come back to camp in search of his usual companions, his red hair was damp and the scholar was naked. "Are you guys going to sit there all day or come wash that goblin flith off?" 

It took a little coaxing, but not ten minutes later they were down by the river bank, Bilbo dipping his feet in the shallows while his companions splashed about like fish. The hobbit swallowed, biting his lip and looking at his hairy toes under the water. 

"Something the matter, master Baggins?" Thorin rumbled off to his right, Bilbo looked up to see the dwarf king, a very naked dwarf king, ringing water out of his long hair. Bilbo blushed and went back to looking at the water. 

"I'm um... I don't know how to swim, hobbits we... we are not very fond of the water; I have heard stories of Brandybucks being washed away by the currents." He murmured, voice trailing off a bit at the end. 

They were silent for a moment as Thorin looked over the hobbit who had saved his life, wearing nothing but bandages and his trousers, looking at the water as if it might surge up and eat him at any moment. Chuckling at the thought, Thorin reached out and ruffled the halflings curls "Don’t fret burglar, we can assist you in this. Fili!" 

Not a minute later Fili, who was just as naked as his uncle, splashed up to shore, blond hair dark from the water. "Uncle?" Bilbo glanced up at the other dwarf and oh, that was a bad idea, wet naked dwarves made him feel uncomfortable, all that hair and muscle. Wet, naked BLOND dwarves on the other hand... 

"It seems master Baggins can't swim, and he's injured, help him bathe without being swept away by the current, will you?" Thorin's voice was serious but he was smiling despite himself. Fili nodded, grinning at his uncle before gently scooping up the injured hobbit, remembering to be mindful of his injuries. 

Bilbo startled as he was pulled against a firm, damp chest, but didn’t have time to ponder the implications before panicking as he caught sight of the deeper water Fili was pulling him in to. "No Fili, stop! it's to deep and IwilldrownandIwillneverbeseenagainIreallycan'tswim and-" 

"Bilbo! Breathe, it will be fine, see? It's only up to my waist," indeed, the water they were in came up to just below Fili's chest. Bilbo felt a vice grip his chest when he felt the slight pull of the current, clutching the blond dwarfs arms tighter. "I have you Bilbo, calm down, I wont let go of you." Fili murmured calmly as he lowered the halfling a little deeper into the water, careful not to let go of him. "We're just going to get all that grime off you okay?" 

Kili and Ori, who had been wrestling in the water a ways off, were drawn over by the absence of their blond companion. Inevitably their attempts to help Bilbo with his fear of the water degenerated into Fili splashing around in the river with the hobbit on his shoulders while said hobbit threw mud clots at Ori and Kili, who were trying to steal Bilbo from the heir. The older dwarves sat on the bank, smoking and laughing as they re braided their hair. The four youngsters were the last back to camp, damp and breathless, but clean all the same. 

After being thoroughly lectured by Oin as the healer re-applied his bandaged, and being swept away by Dori afterword's, Bilbo fell asleep sandwiched between the elder Ri brothers, feeling the lightheartedness of youth for the first time in a long while. 

~ 

Gandalf, who had disappeared as soon as they had set up camp the night before, ambled in early in the morning, urging the dwarves up, saying something about a friend of his who lived near by and was willing to help them. The company grumbled, but packed up after breakfast and slowly followed where the wizard led. Bilbo limped along, grimacing, his ribs ached and one of his deeper cuts had reopened when he had sat up abruptly that morning. 

"Alright Bilbo, your going to hurt yourself at that rate, up you go" Kili said, breaking the burglar out of his thoughts and gently lifting the hobbit up onto his shoulders with the assistance of his brother. The pair were his chosen companions for the day and while they were banged up, no one in the company was as bruised as Thorin and Bilbo were. The king himself, up towards the front of the group, was leaning most of his weight on Dwalin as they walked. 

With a few tricks from Gandalf, and some grimacing from their wounded companions, the bear man let the company into his house without much of a fight. They stuffed themselves and drank deeply into their cups. When the food was gone and the beds laid out by their host, the dwarves sat into groups, assisting their family members in fixing their ruined hairstyles. Bilbo had been laughing at the Durin family as Thorin and Fili tried to talk Kili into at least using ONE braid. The hobbit startled as he was abruptly scooped up by a freshly braided Ori, who carried him over to where the Ri brothers had settled for the night. Nori sat on his pallet with his arms crossed, grumbling while Dori fixed his hair. The thief shot Bilbo a look before muttering "I am not a child and I resent having my hair fixed as though I am one." 

Bilbo huffed a laugh, blowing smoke out through his nostrils "at least you aren't carried around as though you are one." 

Nori reached over, pinching one of the hobbits cheeks, grinning "that's different, you ARE a babe, and such a sweet, small one too!" 

Bilbo batted the dwarfs hand away, scowling, "shove off, you! I am an adult-" the Halfling was abruptly cut off, squeeking as he was pulled back to sit between Dori's knees; The elder Ri brother gently picking at the curly hobbit hair with a frown. Nori for his part, was flopped over on his back, clutching his stomach, cackling madly. 

"You- You should have seen your face!" The thief howled, his laughter overpowering the hobbits protests, a boot flew across the room, smacking the dwarf into silence. "Who did that?" Nori demanded, sitting up as the room burst into laughter, "Dwalin this is your boot!" 

Bilbo was too busy laughing to notice what Dori was doing with his hair, his deft fingers pulling and twisting the short curly strands, he clipped the braids off with a few of his own hair anglets, patting the hobbit on the shoulder when he was done. "There we go, Bilbo, those should do" the burglar reached up to feel the braids, each one starting from the front of his hair and staying close to the scalp untill they dangled behind his ears, the metal clasps cold against the sensitive skin. 

"Do you think this is all right Dori?" Nori asked, squinting at Bilbo in surprise as he examined the braids. 

"It's fitting, plus it makes his pointy ears stand out" Ori murmured, peeking around his brothers shoulder. 

Bilbo was too tired to question the dwarves reactions, batting their hands off, he fell asleep that night squished between Nori and Ori, content to be with those he trusted. 

The next morning brought chaos as the dwarves gathered around to look at the finely twisted strands that marked Dori's work, he did the most delicate braids out of the entire company. 

"What's the meaning of this Dori?" Thorin rumbled, brows lowering enough to almost cover his blue eyes. 

Dori put his hands on his hips "I thought it was fitting, as did my brothers." 

While the courtesan and king volleyed back and fourth at each other, Bilbo leaned over to Fili, brows drawn "what's with the fuss over my braids?" 

Fili turned to the hobbit, smiling, "your braids are the same kind Dori, Nori, and Ori have, they mark you as part of their clan." 

Bilbo eyes went wide, "what? you mean like part of their family?" 

Kili leaned over his brother to look at the halfling, grinning "it's not surprising, seeing how well you get along with them. It also marks you as a friend of the dwarves." Bilbo's face lit up with a smile, his heart swelled, they saw him as family, family... 

"Are you alright Bilbo?" It was Thorin in front of him, grasping his shoulders as Bilbo realized that he was crying. He reached up, grasping the kings hand, laughing, 

"It's... I'm fine, better than fine" 

The dwarves looked at each other, confused "is this about the braids? Do you not like them?" Dori questioned softly. 

Bilbo shook his head, wiping his eyes with the heals of his hands "I just... I cant believe you would let me-" The halfling broke off into a sob. 

Gandalf chose this moment to speak up from his place across the table, "he loves the braids Master Dori, Bilbo is just a little overwhelmed." 

The dwarves, who had all gravitated towards their favorite burglar at his distress, eyed the wizard with distrust and anger born from worry. "Speak plainly, wizard, what is wrong with our halfling?" Dwalin's voice rumbled with an unspoken threat. 

Gandalf shook his head, eyes shining with mirth as he reached over to gently pat his dear friends back. "Hobbits are an interesting race, gentle creatures who are kin to the elves, but almost as secretive as dwarves. They value family and peace over everything in life, and are incredibly distrustful of outsiders, they have a magic all their own, surrounded by a complex culture that they hide from those who are not hobbits." Gandalf paused to take a thoughtful drag off his pipe before continuing, "They value blood-kin over everything, it is their life, even spouses who are married into families are looked on with distrust. So when a family collectively decides to adopt someone into their family, let alone someone of a different race altogether, it is a great honor that is not treated lightly." 

The dwarves were silent as they stared at their burglar, this was something dwarves did frequently for their close friends. For Bilbo though this wasn't anything casual, this was a big deal. 

"My parents died when I was young, they left me Bag End and an inheritance big enough to last me a lifetime, my relatives were either after the money themselves, or had good intentions but too many fauntlings of their own." Bilbo's voice was soft, "I know you all asked why I was alone in Bag End, and well... no girl wanted an orphan, even If I am wealthy." 

Thorin abruptly stood up, crushing the hobbit to his chest with as much force as he dared to use, "you wont be alone anymore, little one," Thorin whispered in a rare fit of emotion. 

With that the company sat down for breakfast, and If their eyes were all a little to bright, and if their king made the hobbit sit in his lap, well no one was going to say anything. 

~ 

"Come on Bilbo, just a little bit, it will make you feel better!" Nori crooned, holding the spoon out towards the eyes and curls peeking out from under blankets. The dwarf sighed, "I promise you will get better if you eat the soup!" 

The eyes narrowed, "I am NOT eating that, it's gross" came the stilted, muffled response from the little lump under the covers. 

Nori sighed once more, rubbing the bridge of his nose "It's the same stuff we have been eating for the entire journey, why are you suddenly against it now?" 

The eyes disappeared and the lump became smaller as Bilbo curled up on his side "I have endured that gruel because it was all we had and I was NOT going to be the brat complaining about the rations. But now we are in a proper town with a proper kitchen and I will not endure it any longer! Especially because I am sick." 

The adopted siblings were pulled from their argument when Bombur entered the room, a steaming pot in his hands and a pleased smile on his face. "It's no use Bombur, Bilbo's decided to become suddenly picky." A huff came from under the blankets, Nori returned with a snort. 

"I pegged hobbits to be more choosy with their meals as soon as I laid eyes on our burglars pantry, I wondered why he hadn't outright refused our food that first night." Bombur chuckled, setting the pot on a table, ladling what looked like ordinary stew to Nori, into a bowl and shuffling over to the hobbits bedside. "Come now Master Baggins! This soup is far better than our ordinary gruel." 

Nori watched in amazement as after a few minuets, his adopted brother shuffled until his head came out from under the blankets, nose first. "Is that garlic Bombur? and carrots! by Yavanna I smell carrots!" The halfling sat up until his entire upper body was showing taking the bowl from the rotund dwarf and digging in with gusto. 

Bombur came to stand by him, smiling triumphantly, "What on earth did you put in that soup Bombur? that’s the most I have seen him eat in days." The thief asked as Bilbo called for seconds, the halfling was given another bowl before the other red head responded. 

"My children are the same way, raised by a chef, picky about their food, this always gets them to eat, no matter what." 

Bilbo licked his bowl clean and decided to go to sleep after his fourth serving, Nori and Bombur left the room, the star haired dwarf stuck silent in amazement. "You have to give me that recipe" 

Bomburs laughter could be heard all the way down stairs. 

By the time the company left Laketown, a week later, Bilbo was well and in high spirits, the boat ride up the river dampening his cheer a little as he clutched to Fili in terrified silence. It seemed that their burglar could butt heads with an orc, was willing to challenge a dragon, but would always remain in fear of the water. 

~ 

The events that happened after Lake town were ones Bilbo did not relish to remember, Smaug, Thorin's goldsickness, the Arkenstone, the battle of the five armies. They were moments Bilbo did not like 

looking back on. But there were bright spots in it all, the company lived, and Thorin, laying bleeding on his cot forgave Bilbo and apologized for all he was worth. Thorin had scars to spare, but was corranated king under the mountain at long last, Dwalin claiming both the titles of head guard and consort to the king. 

Bilbo was left with a large scar down the side of his face, along with several other large scars on his torso and back. Kili lost an eye, but claimed his eye patch with the greatest humor, not even bothering to mourn the loss. Fili lost the ability to speak almost entirely, his head had almost been cut off in the battle, it was a miracle he had survived, whatever words he did utter were rough and painful. Yet the heir took it in stride with the same humor his brother did. 

Bilbo was given a large set of rooms in the royal wing, close to his adopted families, with all the clothes he could ever need and an offer to stay for the rest of his long life. The hobbit sent a letter to the shire with Gandalf, the magic ring he had found enclosed within, to be kept with his dearest relatives along with Bag End. 

It seemed that he had gotten a happy ending after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading the unbeta'd version of this!!  
> Questions? Comments?  
> Did you hate it??  
> EDIT: Okay so this was pointed out to me! The credit for the idea of Kili and Fili's injuries from the BOFTA goes to kannibal and their fantastic art on Tumblr!


	4. Sorry!

Okay sorry guys this is NOT an actual chapter, I'm just updating for people who are MAGNIFICENT and have read this fic. (wow a 1000 views)

I was a little rushed with the last two chapters because I didn't want to make you lovely readers wait for them, but as a result I felt like I gave you all half assed work. I love this story and this plot and want to make it the best it can be, so bear with me because the chapters are going to come a little slow, but they are going to be the best that I can do for them. Because I don't want to mess up this story. 

If you guys have ideas, prompts, one shots, etc, or just a general idea for the fic, PLEASE, drop it in the comments OR Drop it in my ask on Tumblr (I would prefer this.) I am sheetmusicjunkie.tumblr.com 

SERIOUSLY IDEAS WOULD BE THE BEST SHIT IN THE WORLD, I kid you not.  
Or if you just want to say hi to me, that's cool too, I'm always game for questions (can you tell that I'm the kind of person who does not get a lot in their inbox?) 

You guys are fantastic, really.


	5. And the Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Battle of the Five Armies, as it had been dubbed by the important folk involved, had taken it's toll on every dwarf and hobbit involved. The youngsters such as himself, Fili, Kili and Ori, had been robbed of a little of their youth each.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so this is most likely a little while after Erabor was settled and the kingdom restored, sorry for the wait guys, but I didn't want to go on with this until I had gotten permission. The lovely kannibal gave me permission to use her idea for Fili and Kili after the BOFTA. She has the most wonderful art. 
> 
> Again, this is unbetad so I apologize for any horrible mistakes. and for it being so short. but I do have a plan!
> 
> If anyone knows how to use italics on A03 please tell me!

Bilbo awoke suddenly, coming back to reality with a crash as he rolled out of bed, there was blood everywhere, black stained his hands, covered his clothes. The bodies of dwarves, his dwarves littered the ground. His breath came in ragged gasps, his legs were trapped; by the body of a comrade? Had he been grabbed? Panic set in and made him struggle violently against whatever was holding him. There were voices nearby, they had found him, the heavy thudding of boots, they were coming. He couldn’t breathe, if only he could breathe. 

Hands were on his shoulders he flinched back, panicking, his breathing becoming more erratic. Someone was talking, what were they saying?

“Bilbo… Bilbo..”

It was a soft, rough voice, the words were slow with pauses between words, the hobbit paused, going still, he could swear it sounded familiar.

"Bilbo"

"...Fili?"

Bilbo blinked, Fili was here, the sounds of fighting had faded, the world began to come back to him in pieces, it was hard, but his eyes eventually focused on the blond dwarf, who smiled at him in relief. Bilbo wanted to hit himself with something as he discovered that there was no enemy holding him, but his bed sheets, which had tangled around his legs when he had tumbled out of bed. Fili helped the hobbit to his feet and ushered him silently out to the sitting room, Bilbo breathing deeply in order to combat the blackness still fading the edges of his vision. 

The Battle of the Five Armies, as it had been dubbed by the important folk involved, had taken it's toll on every dwarf and hobbit involved. The youngsters such as himself, Fili, Kili and Ori, had been robbed of a little of their youth each. Bilbo's back and sides had large scars that the hobbit was acutely aware of, experienced intense, unpleasant, reactions when touched by those he did not know and his bones often ached in a way that made him tired more often than not. Kili had gained scars and lost an eye but seemed no worse for wear, if maybe a little calmer as a result. Fili on the other hand, had caused the most worry, he had almost come close to having his head cleaved off in the battle and although he recovered, his ability to speak had been impaired, although the heir could speak, it was only quietly and with great pain if he taxed himself. The older folks faired a little better, though Thorin had lost an arm, and all of them, every single member of the company suffered from night terrors, although Bilbo's seemed to be the most frequent.

Bilbo had gained a frightening amount of respect for dwarves after the battle, they had adapted themselves to any injury that had been obtained with a certain grace. They made sure that the company were the only ones permitted to touch Bilbo, and kept him close enough in the royal quarters that someone would hear him in his disturbed sleep. No one approached Kili from the left unless they made a great deal of noise about it. And the whole of dwarf culture seemed to know inglishmek already so they taught Bilbo how it was done and never said a word about it otherwise, just responded to Fili as they normally would. As for Thorin, well nothing stopped the dwarf king, he still wielded a sword and bore himself with majestic grace; if Dwalin was the one to attend to the kings braids these days, then well.. no one was the wiser for it. What Bilbo had truly come to admire about dwarves though, was that they did not show an ounce of pity or pandering, they just took what had happened and adjusted accordingly. Perhaps it was the habit of a warlike race.

As for Ori? well he had come out unscathed physically, but had withdrawn into himself quite a bit more than before, it worried Dori to death (as well as Nori, though he would never admit it in front of his older brother.)

Bilbo shuffled into his sitting room, curling up into a large armchair, one of his favorites, and sinking into the cushions with a weary sigh. His eyes drifted closed, only opening again when Fili tapped him on the shoulder to hand him a cup of tea. The blond dwarf settled across from the hobbit with his own cup, a sure sign that he didn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. They sat in silence for a while, each losing themselves to their thoughts, the hobbit eyed the prince, already dressed for court despite the early hour. While Bilbo remained in a night shirt still, already exhausted and they hadn’t even began. Fili caught his companion staring and gave a smile before setting down his cup so he could properly use his hands.

 _“The same nightmare as usual?”_ Fili signed, Bilbo had become more and more used to communicating with sign these past few months, and had noted, with some amusement, that Fili's face had become very expressive to make up for not being able to convey tone in his words.

Bilbo nodded, “the same” he ran a hand over his face, sighing.

Fili frowned sympathetically, he had woken to his fair share of night terrors as well _“Are you going to stay in today then?”_ Fili asked with a gesture and a flick of his left hand, Bilbo would stay in bed, or in his arm chair some days, drifting in and out of thought during the times when it was too difficult and stressful to interact with others. Even though it felt like one of those days the hobbit had to shake his head, despite how tempting it sounded. 

“As much as I would like to, Dori needs me today, to go over things and be ready for the dinner tonight.” Bilbo and Fili grimaced in tandem to each other, tonight Erebor was holding a feast, a royal dinner in order to honor the arrival of important figure heads from the Iron hills. They were going to be going over trade negotiations for the next week or so with Thorin and his council so everyone had thought it best to stroke their egos for a night to smooth the way. Fili, as the heir to the thrown and a prince of Durin, hated royal dinners and trade negotiations, he hated the roundabout conversations and the backhanded insults that were volleyed back and forth between the court goers. He was only glad that he no longer had to take such a vocal part in the proceedings due to his lack of speech. 

Bilbo was not royalty, or anything of the sort, but he was a member of the company that had taken back Erebor, and was in whatever Dori was. Whenever these sort of dinners happened Dori would dress Bilbo in these special, high collared silk tunics (in green, Bilbo’s color) and would insist he braid his hair. The hobbit would end up sitting at a table near the royal one, with the two elder Ri brothers and five other dwarves, all of them dressed similarly except for the colors they wore. It confused Bilbo, but he knew better than to question Dori’s judgment. 

Fili nodded knowingly at Bilbo’s words, he lifted his hands to gesture something, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. The pair raised their eyebrows silently to each other before looking at the door, there was a shout on the other side of the door.

“I know your up! I’m only knocking to be nice! Now let me in!” It was muffled but the voice unmistakably belonged to Nori. Bilbo laughed despite himself, hauling himself out of his chair and bounding across the room. He opened the door to find the eldest Ri brother smacking a grinning Nori on the back of his finely combed hair, Ori shuffled his feet behind the two, ducking his head behind a book. “Bilbo!” Nori cried, entering the room and sweeping the hobbit up into his arms, twirling about for a moment. 

Dori followed at a more sedate pace, clothing draped over his arms carefully as to avoid wrinkling, the youngest Ri brother keeping his nose firmly in his book as he shut the door and claimed a spot off to the side of the room. Bilbo and Nori wrestled good naturedly, the younger shrieking as he was tossed briefly into the air, forgetting his earlier weariness. 

“Alright you two, enough!” Dori chided, laying his delicate burden over a chair before pulling the pair apart. “We have a lot to do before tonight and not enough time!” 

“Dori must have braided his hair too tightly again, he’s being more fussy than usual” Nori stage whispered, causing he and Bilbo to start cackling at each other as Dori spluttered in outrage. Fili, laughing quietly, stood and signed his farewell, leaving to attend to his court duties and later, training with Kili. 

Bilbo waved goodbye cheerfully, he was in good hands and spirits with his adoptive family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So again, it's really short, but I DO have a plan, leave a comment and tell me what you think! Give me ideas, or something you would like to see in the fic and if I like it I will fit it in!
> 
> Dwarf smut will come soon!
> 
> THANKY YOU!


	6. The night in question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ri brothers dress each other for the big royal dinner, and you get hints of pairings in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I'm not going to actually write what happens at the big dinner, this chapter is mostly just Ri brother feels, fluffy things, leather, and PAIRINGS ACTUALLY BEGINNING TO HAPPEN! 
> 
> Leave me a comment at the end of the chapter and tell me what you think!  
> I am sorry this is an unbeta'd chapter, I am sorry,

Dori wasted no time after Fili left, motioning for Ori to bolt the door before ushering his brothers into Bilbo’s bedchamber, “all right! All of you into the bath this instant!” The eldest Ri brother ordered sharply, herding the younger three past the hobbits plush bed and through a curtained entryway. Bilbo had discovered when he had first been settled into his very fine quarters, that there was a very large bathroom attached to his chambers, it was a stone room with polished floors, a plush couch just to the left of the door, and a handsome vanity that was carved out of the stone itself in the back of the space. Yet all of this was just the icing on the cake, the center piece of it all was the bath itself, a tub that was again carved out of the rock directly into the floor, the bathtub easily could fit five full grown dwarves. It was filled by the natural hot springs of the mountain, so it was always full and hot whenever Bilbo needed it. The hobbit, naturally loved this part of his chambers probably more than his bed; yet he was confused, for while he and Dori, and even Nori, had this accommodation, no one else really did, besides the few other dwarves that seemed to hold the same station. Not even Thorin had a lavatory! He used the communal baths along with the rest of the dwarves in the mountain. Still, it was a small enough thing that Bilbo had never thought to ask. 

The brothers all stripped and sunk into to the tub together with the practiced ease of family, the three dwarves all taking the time to soak and unbraid their hair while Bilbo sunk into the almost too hot water with a sigh. Heat always did wonders on the aches and pains he often woke with these days as a result of the stress from his nightmares. 

They had hours yet before the dinner but the Ri brothers got together early and had ‘bonding time’ as Dori called it, to bathe and help each other dress and prepare beforehand. This was a practice that apparently all dwarf families participated in, Thorin gathered his nephews and they did the same thing, bathe and dress together, Bofur, Bomber and Bifur got together, Dwalin and Balin (although these days they gathered with Thorin’s family.) Oin, Gloin, and his son Gimli came together as well. It was one dwarven tradition that was almost identical to hobbit practices; it made Bilbo feel at home. 

“Come over here Bilbo dear, let me take care of that tangle of yours.” Dori said, drawing a bone comb out of thin air as the Halfling slid over to sit in front of the dwarf, who had raised himself up onto the edge of the tub. His silvery grey hair was down and it fell around his shoulders, making Dori look younger and sweeter somehow. The hobbit made sure to dunk his head for a moment, wetting his curls, still messy from sleep, before sitting back and letting his adoptive sibling do as he pleased. Nori sat across from him in a similar position, Ori patiently pulling a comb through the other’s hair, which Bilbo had discovered was actually quite long and very thick, nearly reaching the thief’s waist. It had turned out that the reason Nori wore his hair the way he did in the first place was for convenience sake, it was nearly the only style that held his stubborn hair. 

“Well Bo there’s no denying it, we’re going to be here for a while” Nori intoned gloomily while gently picking the tangles out of his beard. “Our brothers are perfectionists, the pair of them, and won’t let us go until every knot is taken care of.” Ori playfully smacked his brother with a comb for the comment while Bilbo snorted. Dori, who was usually the one to who dealt out punishment for impudent comments, was too busy clucking over the mess that was Bilbo’s hair to notice.

A moment of comfortable silence passed between the four of them at that moment. The only existing hobbit in Erabor closed his eyes, consciously forcing the muscles of his face, and lower back to relax as the rest of him had. In doing so he missed the way Nori’s eyes softened for the briefest second before grunting and nudging the halflings thigh with his toe. “How are you sleeping, brother?”

Bilbo sighed, turning his head a little at the gentle pressure of Dori’s hands, “as well as can be expected, I suppose. Still with the nightmares though.” He cracked an eye open to look at the dwarf across from him. “And you, brother, how’s your sleep?” 

If Ori felt Nori stiffen under his hands the slightest bit at that moment, he said nothing of it, merely continuing on the task at hand and gently detangling the others hair. “I manage, don’t worry about me so much Bo, It’s my job to worry about you, little one.” He grinned as he was kicked firmly, yet harmlessly by a large hairy foot under the water. 

Dori rapped Bilbo lightly on the back of the head “Calm yourself,” the eldest Ri ordered lightly “now get your hair wet again Bilbo.” The hobbit did as he was told, dunking his head under the steaming water for a moment before coming back up, wiping drops from his eyes as the silver haired dwarf handled him back to his previous place, running a comb through the adopted Ri’s curls once more to double check for knots. With sure fingers Dori began twisting the stubborn hair into a braid, muttering to himself the entire time.   
Ori proceeded to do the same, twisting, pinning, and braiding Nori’s incredibly long hair up into his typical fashion with unflinchingly confident movements of his steady hands. When done, Nori was seemingly magically transformed into his usual self, hopping up onto the edge of the tub to return the favor to his now second youngest brother. Ori these days wore his hair braided away from his face, in the fashion of a scholar, with the tattoos of a warrior on his temples. A paradox, the little family liked to call him. 

Bilbo himself had been coerced into getting tattoos along with the other younger members of the company once the battle was done with. Kili and Fili had gotten face tattoos alongside Ori, they were more visible and gained them the proper respect in court. The mark of a bowman and a warrior for Kili while the eldest prince got the marks of a swordsmen and a warrior. Bilbo himself had gotten two, one starting at the base of his skull and spanning across his shoulders, in honor of the incident with the dragon. While the other was the warrior mark the others had, but winding around his right forearm, the hobbit wasn’t terribly fond of the idea of marking his face after all. 

The older dwarves stood to the side and smiled encouragingly, Thorin chuckling as he taped Bilbos arm up after words, the Halfling wondering aloud why no one else had gotten marks with the younger four. 

“I have my own ink, as Dwalin and the others do, they are symbols of our skills and our first battles, although I have to question my nephews on the wisdom of marking their faces.” The king had grinned at his own comment, the white of his teeth a stark contrast against his beard, and Bilbo could do nothing but smile back. The dwarf had squeezed his hand and helped him up, promising that the pain would go away once he had healed a little more.

Bilbo was brought back to the present by Dori clapping him on the shoulder and urging him out of the hot water. “Out out! Or you will be wrinkly and the water will ruin all my hard work!” The fussy dwarf was in the midst of rebraiding his own hair (Bilbo had offered to help his adopted sibling before, but had quickly learned that Dori didn’t let anyone touch his hair, no one else stood up to his standards.) “Go get dressed, the lot of you! I need to finish in here.” 

Ori shuffled out and grabbed his robes without much fuss, quietly running over the duties he had left to complete for the day in his head while absently dressing. Nori and Bilbo poked fun at each other, giggling and threatening to mess the others braids while the older found the clothes Dori had brought with him. “Come on Bo, I’ll help you into these, I’m sure the green one is yours.” 

“I can get the first layers on by myself, go help our brother with his tunic.” Nori snorted, stepping away to help untangle Ori from where he had managed to catch himself in his floor length scholars robes. Bilbo laughed at the pair as he pulled on shin length black leggings and a deep green tunic that reached the tops of his thighs. Nori, who had finished extracting Ori from his clothes, assisted Bilbo with the trickiest piece of his garments. A fine leather waistcoat that, instead of buttoning, laced up in the front. He would never be able to get the thing on and off by himself but the worry was needless as Nori’s swift fingers pulled at the laces “Oi, not too tight you!” he chided, the star haired dwarf called him something rude and tied off his work with care. The matching leather vambraces, a gift from Thorin for his birthday, were added with the fur mantle, another gift, this one from Fili and Kili, was placed carefully on his shoulders, the hobbit of course, went without shoes.

Nori threw on his own clothes with far less care, Bilbo helping him with his laces, the thief wore a corset in place of Bilbo’s own waistcoat and went without the mantle; but other than that their clothes were very similar.

Dori had exited the bathroom, and cooed sweetly at his three brothers “Your so cute! Give us a spin Ori, Bilbo” the pair grumbled but did as they were bid. The waistcoat was synched just tight enough to accentuate Bilbo’s delicate waist, the green of his tunic bringing out his eyes, while the vambraces, mantle and braids made him look like the warrior he was. Ori, with his braids, tattoos and long lavender robes sweeping about his feet, stood tall and silent, with dark serious eyes. Long gone was the twitchy nervous Ori Bilbo had first met, sometimes the hobbit missed that side of the scholar. Dori and Nori for their part looked very similar, both wearing purple tunics, although Dori’s was embroidered and he wore a waistcoat similar to Bilbo’s. 

“Finally! We are ready!” Dori exclaimed, clapping them on the shoulders, “You all look wonderful, and I am proud of you!” he clasped each of them tightly before they shuffled out of Bilbo’s bedroom as a group and into the sitting room.

“Now! Let’s have a little fun and Impress these royal nitwits!” Nori exclaimed, sweeping Ori into an impromptu embrace that left the other spluttering just as there was a knock at the door. 

Dori opened the door only to have to quickly step back again as two blurs barreled into the room, toppling over one another. Bilbo’s only warning was a shout before he was entangled with a mass of brown and blond hair “BILBO” Kili exclaimed, whilst attempting to twist out of the headlock Fili had him in, the blond prince laughing silently at the other. Thorin, who was leaning in the doorway grinning, Dwalin on his arm while Balin offered Dori his own.

“We are here to offer the Ri family escort, not to ruin their dinner clothes! And Kili for Aules sake be careful! I spent half an hour braiding your hair!” The king lectured, stalking over and pulling his heirs apart by their collars. Bilbo rolled away and stumbled a little before standing and actually getting a good look at their guests. The Durin line dressed as royalty should, in deep blue tunics and assorted leathers and furs, Thorin standing regally with his great crown perched upon his head while Fili wore a circlet of gold and Kili a matching one in silver. They were all broad shouldered and as handsome as dwarves could be in the Halflings opinion. Fili shook his head, grinning before turning his full attention to Bilbo, pausing for a moment, his eyes widening and pink staining his cheeks as he offered Bilbo his arm. 

, _"you look lovely”_ he signed as the hobbit slipped an arm through the princes. 

“Thank you” Bilbo murmured while Kili blushingly paired up with Ori and Nori murmured something about Bofur meeting him there. Thorin tossed a smirk at the stuttering younger couples before leading the way out the door with Dwalin, Dori and Balin following behind.

“Ah to be young again” Balin murmured

“Aye” Dwalin seconded, “I bet they have sweaty palms, the lot of them.”

But the conversation ended there as they arrived at the dining halls and the evening began in Ernest, an evening that would end with Thorin threatening to slit the throats of the visiting dignitaries and Bilbo Baggins crying his eyes out in the arms of his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay yeah, sorry, I don't think I'm actually going to write the dinner. I will tell you now, NO RAPE HAPPENS, THERE IS NO RAPE, I didn't even think that was what it sounded like, but NO, I don't do non-con. no. There will never be noncon in my fics okay? Sexy times are to be sexy, consensual, and fun for everyone.


	7. So What Did Happen?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally come to the night in question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh so thank you so much for being patient with me as I lost track of time with college these past few months. I FINALLY have this chapter for you! It is unbeta'd and I didn't comb through it when I was done so my apologies for any and all mistakes. Feel free to point things out to me, I am so grateful, PLEASE leave comments and feedback etc.
> 
> ALSO ALL THE COOKIES IN THE WORLD to my dear dear friend who spent lots of time on Skype with me discussing the details of this story. Look up rocks0cks on Tumblr if you want a cool Australian on your dash ;)

The royal dining hall of Erebor was breathtaking, for lack of a better word, lit up with candles that would burn for hours on end, their light reflecting off of the almost metallic walls until they looked like sunlight on water. The curved stone ceilings so high that they could not be illuminated, leaving the eves cast in shadows that only accentuated their majestic sweeping lines. Everything glittered, even the guests, the Dwarven upper class were quite fond of their decorative armor after all, much to Thorin and Dwalin's annoyance, the royal couple had been in their fare share of battles and distained the heavy stuff; opting instead for leather and fur in some form or another in all of their clothes. When asked about it Thorin always gave the same response. "I earned back this mountain, I am king, and as such I can wear what I want!" He usually ended this by turning on his heel and striding away. The dwarf king had quite the dramatic flair when so inclines (which was always.) Long tables had been set up at various heights around the room, accounting for the occupants station and wealth, food of every imaginable kind weighed down the tables until they just about groaned from the strain. Bilbo's nose perked at the rich smells that had made their way to him as they entered the hall, he was only able to pick out a few of the dishes from smell and sight alone, and despite the fact that he had noted a distinct lack of anything resembling green his stomach gave a rumble of approval. Fili was the only one of their party close enough to hear, and the prince twitched and smothered a laugh, making a rough sound that could have been interpreted as "hobbits." Bilbo elbowed him sharply in the side, it was the best retaliation he could get at the moment. . In the center of the room was a large dance floor, already crowded for the night, and the music and laughter bounced throughout the halls of the mountain and into the ceilings to echo there for days, as if the mountain itself was laughing in joy of having her people back in its arms. If one looked close enough at the king, (which Dwalin always did) they would see a peculiar mix of peace, joy and sadness etched in the lines of his face, for these sounds were reminiscent of ones heard in these exact halls decades before. 

As the king’s party entered the hall, everything hushed, hundreds paused, their heads turning towards them, then all bent respectfully as one. Thorin stood tall and took a moment to enjoy this particular perk of his station before raising a hand, uttering something in khuzdul, his powerful voice carrying easily across the room. There was the rumble as the dwarves in the room echoed his words, Bilbo felt their low voices reverberate in the bottom of his chest, it made his breath short. After a moment more everyone rose and the music began once more, the kings party continued towards the highest table in the room. Bilbo sighed, clutching Fili’s arm as they sat at last, sinking down into his chair gratefully, his legs felt weak, the hobbit didn’t much care for that level of public scrutiny.

“Pretty intimidating huh little brother?” Nori murmured as he popped up by his right elbow, Bofur pulling his chair out before sitting himself. Just as Fili had done for Bilbo. The entire company was seated at the high table, all dressed in various forms of finery and all of them looking equally uncomfortable. They had been instructed to be on their best behavior tonight; that meant no food throwing unfortunately. The long table faced outwards, looking over the dance floor and other tables, Thorin seated in the highest chair in the middle, with Dwalin on his right as husband to the king and captain of the guard. Kili sat as second in command of the guard with Ori at his side while Fili was at Thorin’s immediate left as heir, Bilbo next to him. The rest of the company sat spread out at the table, muttering among themselves and laughing. 

The most curious thing though, was that Dori was not sitting at their table, but at one directly below them at the head amongst a group of admittedly beautiful dwarves ranging in age, all of them dressed in a similar fashion to the Ri clan, but not as fine. Bilbo frowned, about to ask Nori about it when he felt a tap on the arm. The hobbit turned to see Fili smiling cheekily at him, 

_“it’s all more boring than it looks.”_ The prince signed with his hands in his lap where no one else would see, grinning broadly.

 _“I don’t doubt that it is”_ Bilbo replied, the corner of his mouth twitching _“doesn’t make it any less intimidating though.”_

Fili rasped out something that could have been a laugh, reaching over to grasp the other, his large hands engulfing the hobbits. Bilbo smiled at the prince, the pressure in his chest eased a little as he glanced at the blond and he soon relaxed enough to turn and joke with the rest of the company, Fili’s hand never leaving his.

A good hour passed like this, the old friends eating their fill as mountain gossip was passed back and forth. Apparently one of Kili’s archers had eloped with an apprentice in the jeweler’s guild, it was quite a scandal, they married in Dale and when they came back the poor archer discovered that his new wife was in fact, already engaged to the daughter of one of Bofur’s miners. There was a big to do, lots of death threats and challenges to duels before the marriage was eventually annulled, the apprentice choosing to go with the miners’ daughter, but the archer soon found interest in one of Dwalins’ guards and the whole thing was forgiven (there was also something mentioned about someone owing the other a new pair of boots but Bilbo stopped paying attention.) 

The peace was not to last, however, as the time came in the evening where the negotiations would start. Thorin sighed as their guest stood from his own table, where he had been negotiating with a number of his advisors. He leaned over, muttering something into Dwalin’s ear that made the other dwarf both laugh and nod, grasping the king by the back of the neck and gently knocking their foreheads together. The king stood, smiling softly before turning and smacking a snickering Kili roughly on the back of the head. “Fili, Bilbo, Kili you’re coming with me” 

Nori grinned at Bilbo as they stood “good luck little brother” he murmured before disappearing down to Dori’s table. The hobbit eyed the attractive dwarves as they stood, grace in their every movement as they overtook the table that the guests not involved in the negotiations were sitting at. Bilbo frowned as he was tugged along behind the king and his princes. 

“I don’t understand, why am I going?” he hissed at his older companions, Kili opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted as Thorin abruptly reached back, slinging his remaining arm over the hobbit’s shoulders and pulling him close before walking forward. 

“I need you with me, because these negotiations happen to involve elves, and men, and several pompous dwarf lords that I am not very fond of at all. As you know, my patience is limited and I need someone with a cool head to come with me.” He murmured to Bilbo as they exited the room, the air out in the hall was significantly cooler, making him thankful he was wearing the stifling mantle he had been inwardly complaining about all night.

“But why me? Why not Balin or Dwalin or Dori?”

Thorin chuckled, and the sound seemed to pass directly from his chest to Bilbo’s “Balin will be there, Dwalin has more skill with blades than negotiations and needs to keep an eye on things while I’m negotiating. Dori is… busy with other… sorts of negotiations.” Bilbo frowned at this as the group turned a corner “besides, you speak elvish, and I know that elves are… rather fond of your kind.” Thorin broke off, muttering something about pointy ears. They finally reached the meeting room, it was a large stone room with wide doors and no windows, surrounded by the Erebor guard outside and inside, (no doubt Dwalin's work.) Balin was waiting for them inside, looking over his notes in that assured, calm way of his that the hobbit had always found comforting. “Don’t worry my dear Burglar, you’re going to do just fine.” With that the king released Bilbo’s shoulders, leaving him in the hands of the princes.

“Come on Bilbo over here,” Kili grasped him by the shoulders and led him to sit at Fili’s left, from where he sat at the head of the table at Thorins left, Kili at the kings right once again. Bilbo nervously tapped his fingers on his thighs, Thorin standing, his head bent with Balins. 

_“You’re going to be alright as long as you don’t say anything stupid”_ Fili signed, making a rough, sympathetic noise in the back of his throat.  
 _“Just don’t puke”_ Kili added helpfully, grinning,  
 _"The both of you, stop”_ Thorin butted in with a moody flick of his hands, seating himself as everyone else stood, the doors opening to let in their guests. Dain and his dwarves came first, shining in their decorative armor (the iron hills dwarves seemed to fancy this, while the Erebor dwarves were more the leather and fur variety.) They made the proper bows and ceremonial whatnot before taking their seats, followed by the elves, tall and graceful as they were, surprisingly Thranduil was there, although if the rumors were true he was never one to turn down good wine. He gave a cold bow of proper greeting, Thorin smirking a little as he did so, before sitting across from Bilbo towards the head of the table. The dwarf who came to sit next to Bilbo paused, taking in the hobbits clothing, his eyes flicking up and down before giving him a smile that made him feel… uncomfortable.

With everyone seated at last, they finally began the actual business portion of the evening, the elves sending smiles and warm greetings to the resident hobbit of Erebor, Bilbo returning the favor in proper Sindarian, which did nothing but please the Mirkwood elves and make all dwarves present frown and shift in their chairs. Thorin was right, of course, the big folk had an uncanny fondness for him and were more likely to be agreeable when he was there. Bilbo chalked it up to simply being the only one in the mountain with a sense of propriety and manners, while Gandalf, on one of his infrequent visits, had theorized that he reminded them of elven children, which were few and far between for immortal beings. 

As things settled down, Dain and Thorin became engaged in a heated, rapid fire bartering match over the prices of shale, gravel and sand shipments, with the occasional precious metal thrown in. Bilbo meanwhile became ever more aware of the presence of the dwarf beside him. Was it him or was the other too close, why was his chair angled like that? And he kept looking over and smiling at him, not in the friendly way, Bilbo knew what that looked like, but it looked… possessive, hungry, it scared him a little actually. He tried shifting subtly towards Fili, who was signing numbers rapidly off of a sheet and too busy to notice. 

No that was definitely not his imagination, there was a hand on his thigh, Bilbo’s chest tightened in panic as the hand slowly slid up higher and higher on his thigh. Bilbo tried to knock it away but the large dwarvish hand engulfed his entire thigh, pulling it roughly towards the dwarf as it slid upwards towards his crotch. Finally, Bilbo had enough, he fought a dragon for god’s sake! The hobbit stood swiftly, knocking the hand away at last and giving the dwarf a firm smack across the face. 

The room went deathly still and silent, the dwarf stared at the hobbit, his lip curling, 

“What’s going on?” Thorin demanded, turning towards his friend “Bilbo?” his voice was firm and trusting, Bilbo was never one to initiate violence needlessly.

“His… his hand kept sliding up my leg, he would not let go, he was too close.” The hobbit explained, looking nervously at the king. The dwarf next to Bilbo suddenly stood, grabbing him by the wrist in a bruising grip. 

“You little runt! How dare you strike me!” He bellowed, shaking him before striking Bilbo’s face with his huge hand, the hobbit’s head snapped to the right and he saw stars. The dwarf growled and pinned him to the table, spreading his legs and pinning him with his larger weight. 

“You’re nothing! Nothing but a whore!” He shouted and the room burst into chaos, “You like pretending but you’re nothing but a cocksucker are you?” He leaned down and whispered into his ear before he was roughly pulled off by Fili. 

Bilbo lay there, in shock for a moment, he was helped up, by a pair of hands he did not know the owner to, nor did he want to. His eyes stung, his ears were ringing, the hobbit stood there shaking, humiliation curling slowly in his gut and he bolted for the door, Nori emerging from the shadows to follow hot at his heels.

~

While Bilbo was in the arms of his brothers, and the party went on, the goers blissfully unaware of anything to do with the incident aside from an important few, the meeting room was a mess. Chairs knocked over, papers scattered and the table pushed to the side. In the middle of it all was the dwarf, tied up in the center of the room, all the dwarves were standing, Dain and his advisors stone faced, knowing very well what was to come. The elves grouped together in a corner, unsure of what to do or what was going on. 

Everything was hushed and tense as the door to the room silently opened, the clipped sound of Thorin Oakensheild’s boots as he re-entered the room; servants carrying a tray and his advisor close at his heels. The king motioned for the tray to be placed on the table before dismissing anyone unneeded from the room. “So Mr. Gideon” he rumbled, walking a slow and deliberate circle around his prisoner, nudging him with a steel capped toe. “You think you can come here, into my kingdom and assault one of heroes of Erebor? Bilbo Baggins, dragon tamer no less, and get away with it?” Thorin asked casually as he walked back over to his chair, his gait steady, Balin helped him shrug out of his mantle, the king a picture of masked rage, Gideon trembled.

“I-I didn’t know he was Bilbo Baggins, I though he was just some whore, he was dressed like a courtesan! Please! Your highness!” He begged from his knees

Thorin growled low in his throat, flexing his fist, the leather of his vambrace creaking with the motion “did you think that there was any other hobbit living within these walls? Not only is your excuse poor but you have sealed your fate, disrespecting my courtesans on top of everything else!” He shook his head angrily, making a jerking motion towards his nephews “Fili, Kili, you know what to do.”

Kili circled around the Dwarf once, like a cat stalking it’s prey, before pausing behind him and twisting his hands into the prisoners hair, jerking his head back roughly, exposing his throat and jaw. He tried to struggle, to search out the eyes of his companions, but the prince’s grip was too strong. “Dain please! Do something! You can’t let this happen!” The dwarf whimpered, but he received no sympathy. 

“You knew exactly which law you were breaking Gideon” Dain Ironfist replied, exchanging approving glances with Thorin across the room. “The exact same punishment would have been dealt within my own halls.” He crossed his arms and stood staring at his advisor in disappointment. 

Fili picked a blade off of the tray that had been brought in, testing the edge on his thumbnail before turning towards Gideon, spinning the knife with practiced ease between his fingers. “My brother” Kili murmured, his voice dropping in register, “is one of the finest fighters I have ever met, he has much experience with smaller blades.” At this he glanced up, the heirs of the Durin line sharing a manic grin between them. “Unfortunately for you” he crooned, pulling the prisoners head back further “my brother was only taught to kill with those blades, I can’t say what will happen if his hand slips. At that point, Gideon began to sob in earnest, his body shaking. Kili clicked his tongue in distain

“What do you make of that, brother?” He asked

The golden prince crouched down, his face expressionless as he tilted his head, pressing the edge of the knife to the dwarf’s cheek. “Disgusting” he rasped, the sound ugly and menacing, he flicked his wrist, making the first movement of the blade for the decided punishment. 

Howls of pain echoed through the sanctity of Erabor’s halls that night, as a hobbit slept, blissfully unaware.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO THAT IS THE NIGHT IN QUESTION.  
> I am sorry, I feel it's a little lackluster,  
> tell me what you think? AND, where should I go from here?  
> (I already have ideas but I LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing from you people.)  
> THANK YOU!


	8. An update

Okay sorry guys, this is not an actual chapter, again, just giving you lovely folks an update. 

So at the moment I am almost done with a chapter, I'm going to edit it and post it in probably this weekend (sorry schools a little nuts) I will tell you it's mostly a Thorin/Dwalin chapter and there is a little angst, a lot of fluff and SEX at sweet long last!

Okay so the other part of this update is that I would like some ideas from you guys! I'm probably going to post a few more chapters here and then start another series attached that I'm going to call "The Training of Bilbo Baggins" 

GIVE ME YOUR IDEAS!!! What do you think of the Ri brothers? Should Ori and Bilbo bond more? Do you want some side characters to get together? WHO do you want Bilbo to end up with? I have my own ideas for the pairing but I want your imput!

Thank you all so much!! You are wonderful patient readers that I adore!!! You guys give me the inspiration to keep writing this.


	9. The King and the Gaurd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry this took so long! University has me writing more papers than I would like at the moment. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this! Tell me what you think?

“Do you think he’s going to be alright?” Thorin asked, throwing his mantle over a chair and pacing the length of the room, running his hand through his hair. It was late, or early, he couldn’t tell which though. Dwalin was leaning against the back of a chair watching his husband closely, face closed and passive. 

“I went and spoke to Dori” the bald dwarf rumbled, his shoulders slumping in exhaustion “he said Bilbo didn’t even know what courtesans were to dwarves. Said something about us grooming him to be a whore.” At this Thorin paused, a mixture of horror and panic flitting across his face, he may be the impassive king to the rest of the world, but when alone with Dwalin he always let the mask drop and was actually, incredibly expressive; it was one more thing to add to the pile of reasons why the warrior loved his husband so.

“Oh god no” Thorin groaned, “He doesn’t understand! He’s not a courtesan! I thought he knew the laws, I thought somebody had explained them to him!” The king let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a whine from his nose. “Someone should talk to him, I need to tell him!” He stopped his pacing, turning abruptly on one heel, long strides carrying him towards the door. Dwalin, guessing Thorins intentions, reached out and snagged him around the waist.

“Oh no no no, not tonight, the poor boy’s probably asleep,” 

Thorin grunted, and the pair grappled for a moment, equally matched in skill and height, however the king was the more worn out of the two with all he had done that evening. Dwalin ended up with one thick arm wound around the other’s waist the other pinning Thorin’s arm to his side. “Curse you and my confounded missing arm!” The king bellowed as he was hoisted over his husbands shoulder and hauled into the adjoining room. “I will have you know it is well within my power to have you beheaded you stubborn fool!” He shouted as he was dumped onto the massive four-poster bed. Dwalin laughed, shucking off Thorins boots before going about unbuckling, unstrapping, and stripping both himself and the king. Thorin put a good amount of thought into struggling for a moment before going limp and lying on the bed, stubbornly refusing to help. 

“Aye you’re a right intimidating king you are, but I don’t think you would do that, who would braid your hair hm?” The bald dwarf chuckled scooting the pair of them up onto the bed properly before crawling up to cover the other’s body with his own. 

“That’s what servants are for” Thorin sniffed, closing his eyes at the feeling of a warm torso pressed against his, their legs tangling together. He turned his head, pressing his cheek against Dwalins and sighing “although I must admit no one does it quite as well as you do.” He murmured softly, causing his companion to snort. 

“So I braid well? That’s what we’re calling it now eh?” that earned him a firm smack in the shoulder, “Enough of that, now, what’s bothering you love?” He propped himself up on his elbows, looking down at Thorin, who turned his head to stare at the wall instead of his lover. Dwalin waited in silence, knowing that the king never did anything on anyone’s schedule but his own. Thorin took a long moment, eyes tracing the stone walls that had given him so much peace recently. Whispers of the past lingering within them, the ones only dwarves could hear. He closed his eyes, and ended up rolling the pair over onto their sides, hooking a leg over Dwalin’s hip, 

“I don’t want to lose Bilbo again” he murmured, “he’s so young and he we almost lost him once, I can’t bear the thought of him leaving us, or not trusting me again.” He glanced at Dwalin out of the corner of his eye, the warrior just couldn’t stand the sadness in those blue eyes of his.

“Oh darling,” he murmured into Thorin’s hair, pulling him close and running a hand down the king’s back, “Bilbo is a smart little thing, despite his youth, he will figure it out alright? You can talk to him in the morning if it will make you feel better.” The black head of hair nodded against his chest, his arm snaking under Dwalins and fanning out between his shoulder blades. 

“Now” Dwalin said, cupping the king’s face and bringing it up to his “how about we do something fun before bed” he broke the moment by leering, causing Thorin to laugh despite himself. He was so good at working himself into a somber mood, his husband was of the opinion it was a skill taught early in life to royalty, (his nephews were quite good at it as well.)

“You would think about that” he mumbled as he was pulled into a slow, sweet, kiss, tilting his head and humming in the back of his throat. Dwalin smiled a little, pulling back to nip at Thorins bottom lip 

“Well if it were up to you we would be chattering about court in bed” he grinned.

“And you would have us talk about swords between the sheets” Thorin returned, tugging his husband by the beard and slipping his tongue into the others mouth to shut him up. Dwalin grunted in surprise, opening up easily for him as one of his hands slipped downwards, grasping the king’s thigh, hoisting it further up on his hip before sliding around and cupping the generous swell of his ass. Thorin moaned, his hand finding Dwalins waist as his other leg slipped between the warriors, heat coiling in the bottom of his stomach as he pressed against the hardness under Dwalins smallclothes. “Darling” he murmured breathlessly, pulling back, the other whining at the loss of contact “If you don’t fuck me into the mattress right now I may be forced to behead you after all.” 

Dwalin laughed, rolling on top of his husband once more, “I always thought you were at the peak of your beauty whilst threatening me.” He leaned down, nipping and sucking under Thorins jaw, relishing the moan he received and the expanse of neck opened up to him when the king tilted his head to the side for more. Dwalin sucked on that pretty neck of his, leaving marks that would be left there in the morning, catching an ear lobe between his teeth and pressing between his husbands legs. The pair of them moaning as their cocks pressed together, a few thin layers of cloth doing nothing to obstruct the heat that passed from one to the other. The warrior couldn’t stop himself from rocking into that feeling, it was exquisite, wonderful, and not quite enough.

“Unclothe me this moment Mr. Dwalin” Thorin ground out, his voice dropping even further in register in his lust, Dwalin shivered, pressing his lips to the space between his collarbones reverently. 

“Certainly, your majesty” he murmured, glancing up from under his lashes as he unlaced and tugged down the cloth in question, urging his husband to lift his hips and tossing the offending garment away. Thorins hand tugged at Dwalins own smallclothes, fumbling with the laces for a moment before growling in frustration as the other reached down to help him. The king sighed, flopping back as his partners two, strong, capable hands pushed his remaining clothes away. 

Dwalin looked up, catching the peculiar face his husband was making, he paused before gently smoothing his hands up and down the others thighs. Feeling the urgency of the moment slip away from them regretfully. “Thorin?” he murmured, his voice was soft, questioning

Thorin rubbed his hand over his eyes, “Dwalin why do you even put up with me? I’m stubborn, ruthless, I work too much, I worry too much, I… hit things when I’m frustrated, I don’t talk in public and then I talk in bed.” He left the hand over his eyes, sighing once more through his nose, 

“I do those things too, except the part about the talking,” he replied, leaning down to kiss the kings stomach, feeling the muscles there flutter under his lips.  
“I’m king, I get a lot of… public attention, rumors, gossip, everything I do is under scrutiny” he went on, his body taking interest in Dwalins ministrations despite himself. “You’re never going to have a privet… or normal life with me.” He trailed off, his voice distant,

At this Dwalin lifted his head, brow hardening and face closing off until he looked downright thunderous, it made Thorin’s stomach flutter with a mixture of anxiety and desire. “I haven’t ever had a normal life, Thorin,” he said, voice low as he rested his forehead against his husbands abdomen. “Normal was never something made for me, and in case you didn’t notice, your majesty, I don’t give two shits about what others say.” He grunted from his place between the king’s legs, muttering the words into the hairy skin of his stomach. Thorin lifted his hand and peered at him with one blue eye before draping his whole arm over his face once more.

“Despite all of that, you stay with me, you always have,” his voice softened here, regret and gratitude mixing together as memories of the past rolled up to meet him “after the gold sickness, and the war, and now with the politics you stayed, and you still endure it all, my moods and the whispers and on top of it all my… deformity.”

This gave Dwalin pause, and he lifted his head to stare in shock at his husband, “Deformity?” he whispered to himself, leaning back to take in the perfection that was the king of Erebor. There was nothing new to be found, he reached out, prying the arm away from his partners face, “what are you talking about a deformity?” His eyes searched the perfect face that belonged to his better half, Thorins eyebrows rose, and they took a moment, both staring in silent confusion. 

“Dwalin my… my arm” The king said slowly, squinting slightly at the other 

The guard sat back a little “what about it?” he asked looking at the kings remaining arm, turning his large hand in his, pausing to kiss his palm in a way that made Thorin’s stomach flutter like that of a tween.

“No, dearheart, my other one, the… the missing one” he said, pulling his hand away to reach over to his shoulder. Dwalin continued to frown  
“What about it? Are you having ghost pains again?” 

Thorin’s brow knit together in a combination of frustration and confusion “Wha- no, well I mean yes I do get those.” 

“Do you need me to get Oin for you? Or rub your back?” His husband asked, the picture of a concerned spouse, 

“Oh for Mahal’s sake! Dwalin! I am missing an arm! Don’t you get that?! I mean look at it! It’s an ugly, deformed stump! I can’t even braid my own hair anymore Dwalin and you want to have sex with me?!” Thorin shouted, sitting up angrily, partially dislodging his husband and clutching protectively at his shoulder and the stump that used to be his arm. It was covered in scars, new ones, still pink and angry from the battle only a year ago. His entire side was as well, the worst part of it was that sometimes it still felt like the arm was there, and he would think about doing something and realize with sudden clarity that no, there was nothing there. He bit back frustrated tears as everything came to a head. 

Realization dawned on the other dwarf and he sat back on Thorin’s thighs, taking a moment, absorbing the information, he was at a loss of what to do as he stared at the slowly crumpling face of the king. He shifted, moving to straddle his spouse, more before leaning forward and kissing the scarred stump. “No Dwal, don’t” Thorin murmured, cutting himself short as Dwalin lifted his head, his look one of a dwarf resolved and a little lost. He pressed the kings face between his hands, kissing him hard before pulling back a little, thumbs rubbing at the tears on that precious face. 

“Now look here Thorin Oakensheild, you are by far the most beautiful being I have ever met in my entire life, and there is not a single thing wrong with you.” His voice caught as Dwalin found himself in a rare emotional state, he leaned his forehead into the others, “and if you think you are unattractive well…” he broke off, fumbling for words because he knew there were none that could convince the other to see how beautiful he was. Finally Dwalin huffed out a breath, grasping Thorin’s hand in his, bringing it over and wrapping it around his cock, which was painfully hard, head almost purple. “Do you feel that, Thorin? No other dwarf does what you do to me, no other being ever will.” He lost his train of thought a little as the king stroked him, lightly enough that it was distracting, making his hips stutter forward. “You… are worthwhile, you are a fantastic king, a loving uncle, a thoughtful mentor and the most attentive spouse any dwarf could hope to have.” Dwalin never got to finish everything he had to say about the fantastic dwarf that was, miraculously married to him. As Thorin surged forward at his last words, using his momentum and weight to flip them so that he was on top. Desperately clutching Dwalin and kissing him, hard, all teeth and beard and exactly what the warrior needed after all of the feeling talk. 

“You stupid fool, I’m so lucky to have you” Thorin muttered into the kiss, reaching out and fumbling for the lube the couple kept under one of the pillows. Dwalin propped himself up on his elbows, spreading his legs shamelessly 

“I thought I was the one fucking you, majesty” he ribbed, silently pleased at the shift in position

“This king would like properly give his thanks in light of recent events.” Thorin said, regally tossing his hair over one shoulder, which had gotten longer in the past year. He sat up on his knees, uncorking the bottle with his teeth, he looked to be the very picture of everything a dwarf could hope to be. Aesthetically, physically, mentally, Dwalin’s eyes roamed the scars, the missing limb, the callouses on his hands and the hair covering his body, god he was beautiful, and those marks only proved it further. 

“I thought we spoke, at great length, about you speaking in third person” Dwalin grunted, cutting off into a moan as he felt slick fingers probe his arse. 

“and I thought I had given my opinion on that already,” Thorin said, eyes darkening further as he pushed one finger and then two, into his husband. “Now shut up and enjoy yourself hm?” His voice had dropped in pitch, watching the other dwarf squirm around his fingers as he pumped them in and out slowly, slipping in a third and watching him arch. “Such a feeling you give me, my dear, getting to see the toughest warrior in all of Erebor come apart from my fingers.”

“If you made it your dick that was inside me then I would really make some noise” Dwalin panted, giving a sharp cry and jerking as his husband’s thick fingers found his prostate. He tilted his head back, biting back the embarrassing noise that threatened to leave him as the digits were removed. He felt Thorin shift, his hand grasping Dwalin’s leg and pulling it around his waist as his other leg did the same. The king leaned forward, propping himself up on his elbow while the warrior reached up to brace him with one of his own arms.  
“Are you okay like this?” Thorin murmured his hair falling like a curtain around them, Dwalin nodded, leaning up to nip at his bottom lip, pulling a smile from the king. “If you wouldent mind assisting me dearheart?” he murmured into his husbands cheek. 

Dwalin grinned, “for you my dearest, never” those were the last words spoken between them as he took the kings weight with his own arms. Moaning as he was slowly stretched and filled by his king at long last. 

Their moans and the slap of flesh rang through the king’s quarters until evening had long passed into morning. There were too many issues to deal with, botched foreign relations, angry elf kings, an injured Hobbit, but as Thorin drifted off to sleep at long last, cradled against the bear of a Dwarf he called a husband; he found his crowns burdens lifted, briefly, from his shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's kind of short I think, and a wee bit more melodramatic than I wanted it to be but I felt bad making you wait any longer. I wont be able to update again until my semester is over in a month or two. Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Tell me what you think?


	10. A Long Awaited Update

Hey everyone, to anyone out there still following this story, I am so sorry for abandoning it. I recently reread this fic and it's just too good for me to leave behind. So what do you guys think? Should I post a new chapter or just try to rewrite the whole fic? Drop me some opinions. 

Thank you everyone who has stuck with this for so long! I love you all!!

**Author's Note:**

> AHH, okay, If you did read it, and didn't run away screaming, thank you. A LOT. you deserve all the prizes in the world.   
> Sooo, the next chapter will be some flashbacks to the journey? and Bilbo's acceptance that Dori has set his mothering eyes towards him.   
> Any ideas for flashbacks? and what should happen? I welcome it all.


End file.
